Posts Tagged ‘USA’

According to Nye (2011) wars and military conflicts between countries are never going to cease in the future because confrontionism is deeply rooted in human genes. Generally, the debate regarding hegemony can be divided into two broad and opposing categories. On one hand, supporters of Habermas such as Catley and Mosler (2007), Russett (2011) and Baker (2011) do believe that it is possible for countries to engage in international relations without dominant power in an effective manner. On the other hand, supporters of Foucault such as Schake (2009), Balogun (2011), and Nye (2011) argue that international relations cannot be facilitated without power, but the nature of power can be represented in various formats. In other words, according to this stance hegemonic power will always influence international relations; however, the level of evidence of this influence varies according to a range of factors. Lee (2010), Russett (2011) and Baker (2011) find positive correlation between rising military power of a state and its hegemonic ambitions. Table 2.1 illustrates major hegemonic wars during the last several centuries and contains information about their results. Hegemonic War Duration Results Thirty Years’ War 1618 – 1648 Defeat of Habsburg Wars of Louis XIV 1667 – 1713 Defeat of France Napoleonic Wars 1792 – 1814 Defeat of France; Emergence of Britain as hegemon World War I 1914 – 1918 Defeat of Germany World War II 1939 – 1945 Defeat of Germany; Emergence of the USA as hegemon Table 2 Hegemonic wars during last several centuries and their results Source: Lee (2010) US Hegemony in the 20th Century and Its Perception by other Countries According to Catley and Mosler (2007) the US hegemony has mainly started after the World War II of 1939 – 1945. Specifically, Catley and Mosler (2007) link this fact to the chosen stance of…