Post by SeventhSeal17 on May 8, 2007 21:19:53 GMT -5
Unilateral America
Or How to retain American Hegemony in a Changing World
D. R. Munro
Or How to retain American Hegemony in a Changing World
D. R. Munro
After the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991 the United States has been left with a unique place in the world. Not since Rome has an empire had such control over world politics, global markets, and affairs. Globalization began in the 1500’s with the intermingling of European nations with the cultures of the Far East, mainly India. As time has progressed and American preeminence has surfaced, globalization has come to be referred as the spread of American ideals and values.
A German magazine named Der Spiegel has published an article that contains the following: “American Idols and Icons are shaping the world from Katmandu to Kinshasa, from Cairo to Caracas. Globalization wears a ‘Made in America’ label. The position that American occupies in the world could not be summed up better. The question now is how do we sustain such a unipolar world?
The Soviet collapse and end of the Cold War have left the United States the only superpower in the world. With an economy slightly less than two times that of the closest nation, China, and the world’s premier military force we should have no problem retaining preeminence in the global arena, such a statement couldn’t be more wrong.
Many speak of the “power” that the United States holds over the rest of the world, but what power is exactly is never examined. In my view power is the ability to coerce other nations and peoples to give you want you want. Whether it be through military clout, economic superiority, or simply through the spreading of culture. Other factors come into play such as population, natural resources, infrastructure, and political stability. The culmination of all the factors is used to determine a nation’s power. America’s power is great, far greater than any other nation in the world.
Throughout history it has been almost a natural reaction among nations to form coalitions to create a balance of power against the reining regimes in a region or the world. Evidence of this can be seen in Napoleonic France, World War I, and the British Empire. The problem with this is that warfare is no longer “accepted” in civilized societies. A “Warrior Code” of ethics is not present in modern society, and honestly, warfare is not feasible, even with one’s enemies. The problem lies in an interconnected global economy, for example, a war with China would cause a great financial loss to the United States and an even greater loss to China, it is in neither nation’s best interest to sever ties.
Now that a short background has been established it is time to discuss how we can harness and hold onto this power that has been given to us. The United States sits in a strange place in the world. She is far too powerful for any nation to directly oppose and yet not powerful enough to get what she wants without assistance. A sensitive approach has to be taken to keep international favor on our side, something that we seem to be losing under the current administration.
In a great book titled The Paradox Of American Power, Joseph Nye claims that there are two kinds of power, Soft Power and Hard Power. Hard Power consists of military might and presence, an important force, but Hard Power alone cannot keep rule of anything. Then there is Soft Power, which consists of a nation’s culture and how the rest of the world perceives it. It is only through a delicate balance of these can American stay on top.
Hard Power relates to the respect and fears a nation creates with its military; however, military might is used more as a pervasive fear in this nuclear age then an actual weapon. In previous eras warfare was a means to solve a problem, in the end you buried your dead and moved on. Not in this era. With the advent of nuclear technology war is being avoided by all nations at all costs. During the Cold War the United States and the Soviet Union reached an agreement called Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD), which stated if one nation launched a preemptive nuclear strike on the other a nuclear strike would be in turn launched against the antagonizing nation, ensuring that both nations would be blown into oblivion. It is this fear that has prevented major war for nearly seventy years, and America can make it work for her.
In modern civilizations it is industry and commerce that is used as the prevailing weapon, with evidence of this being government sponsored sanctions. Overbearing Hard Power can directly squander the effect of Soft Power; also, Hard Power is not needed to gain Soft Power. Canada, for instance, has a very high amount of Soft Power. Countries strive to emulate the peacefulness, socialist ideals, and years of progress it has created. All the while Canada has nearly no Hard Power. It is a model America needs to adopt. Being seen as the world’s police is not good for Hard Power or Soft Power.
As this century progresses the United States is not going to be able to go it alone as the world’s only superpower, even if she wants too. She is going to have to make friends in the international community and watch how her policies affect certain places, mainly the Far East. Thucydides proclaimed that the fear of war is often what precipitates it. One nation feels challenged by another, be it because of fast development or military build up, and begins to build up its own military. That causes the opposing nation, perceiving the military build up as a threat, to increase its own security. Then tensions mount and the two go head to head. The only rational reason for such a conflict is that the premonition of war actually led to the clash. That is the situation we will have with China, a hole we must not fall into like so many others in the past.
The Far East is experiencing a great revival. Japan has the second highest GDP of any nation in the world. China is well on it’s way to becoming a burgeoning superpower in its own right and places like N. Korea are becoming extremely volatile. The situation we have to watch for is the coalition to balance American power. It would be extraordinarily unlikely that Japan and China will ever mount an alliance against the United States, although it is possible. Like said before, this wouldn’t be a military alliance so much as a political one. Another possible situation is a Chinese-Indian coalition, also unlikely but still likely enough to be a major concern. Any sort of such alliance would be enough to drive American influence out of the Far East and crush American soft power in the region.
Even if China decided it was time to challenge the United States it wouldn’t even equal the American economy until the years 2056-2095 (Nye 20). Chinese economy in the year 2006 is roughly equivalent to the American economy in the 1950’s, only without the added bonus of wartime economic boosts.
This burden does not lie solely on governmental shoulders, the citizens have a large, and maybe the most important, responsibility to elect leaders that will guide us or as truthfully as politicians can guide. This means that everyone must be active in polls, everyone must research all there is to know about the candidates. Then, and only then, shall we come to a collective decision as to who can represent us, guide us, and protect us through the hard times that inevitably lay ahead.
As history has shown in the past, and will show again, this essay and all others like it are pure speculation. History will have many surprises in store, such as the events of 9/11, which will inspire us and change the landscape of global politics. One thing is certain though. No one stays on top forever.
A German magazine named Der Spiegel has published an article that contains the following: “American Idols and Icons are shaping the world from Katmandu to Kinshasa, from Cairo to Caracas. Globalization wears a ‘Made in America’ label. The position that American occupies in the world could not be summed up better. The question now is how do we sustain such a unipolar world?
The Soviet collapse and end of the Cold War have left the United States the only superpower in the world. With an economy slightly less than two times that of the closest nation, China, and the world’s premier military force we should have no problem retaining preeminence in the global arena, such a statement couldn’t be more wrong.
Many speak of the “power” that the United States holds over the rest of the world, but what power is exactly is never examined. In my view power is the ability to coerce other nations and peoples to give you want you want. Whether it be through military clout, economic superiority, or simply through the spreading of culture. Other factors come into play such as population, natural resources, infrastructure, and political stability. The culmination of all the factors is used to determine a nation’s power. America’s power is great, far greater than any other nation in the world.
Throughout history it has been almost a natural reaction among nations to form coalitions to create a balance of power against the reining regimes in a region or the world. Evidence of this can be seen in Napoleonic France, World War I, and the British Empire. The problem with this is that warfare is no longer “accepted” in civilized societies. A “Warrior Code” of ethics is not present in modern society, and honestly, warfare is not feasible, even with one’s enemies. The problem lies in an interconnected global economy, for example, a war with China would cause a great financial loss to the United States and an even greater loss to China, it is in neither nation’s best interest to sever ties.
Now that a short background has been established it is time to discuss how we can harness and hold onto this power that has been given to us. The United States sits in a strange place in the world. She is far too powerful for any nation to directly oppose and yet not powerful enough to get what she wants without assistance. A sensitive approach has to be taken to keep international favor on our side, something that we seem to be losing under the current administration.
In a great book titled The Paradox Of American Power, Joseph Nye claims that there are two kinds of power, Soft Power and Hard Power. Hard Power consists of military might and presence, an important force, but Hard Power alone cannot keep rule of anything. Then there is Soft Power, which consists of a nation’s culture and how the rest of the world perceives it. It is only through a delicate balance of these can American stay on top.
Hard Power relates to the respect and fears a nation creates with its military; however, military might is used more as a pervasive fear in this nuclear age then an actual weapon. In previous eras warfare was a means to solve a problem, in the end you buried your dead and moved on. Not in this era. With the advent of nuclear technology war is being avoided by all nations at all costs. During the Cold War the United States and the Soviet Union reached an agreement called Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD), which stated if one nation launched a preemptive nuclear strike on the other a nuclear strike would be in turn launched against the antagonizing nation, ensuring that both nations would be blown into oblivion. It is this fear that has prevented major war for nearly seventy years, and America can make it work for her.
In modern civilizations it is industry and commerce that is used as the prevailing weapon, with evidence of this being government sponsored sanctions. Overbearing Hard Power can directly squander the effect of Soft Power; also, Hard Power is not needed to gain Soft Power. Canada, for instance, has a very high amount of Soft Power. Countries strive to emulate the peacefulness, socialist ideals, and years of progress it has created. All the while Canada has nearly no Hard Power. It is a model America needs to adopt. Being seen as the world’s police is not good for Hard Power or Soft Power.
As this century progresses the United States is not going to be able to go it alone as the world’s only superpower, even if she wants too. She is going to have to make friends in the international community and watch how her policies affect certain places, mainly the Far East. Thucydides proclaimed that the fear of war is often what precipitates it. One nation feels challenged by another, be it because of fast development or military build up, and begins to build up its own military. That causes the opposing nation, perceiving the military build up as a threat, to increase its own security. Then tensions mount and the two go head to head. The only rational reason for such a conflict is that the premonition of war actually led to the clash. That is the situation we will have with China, a hole we must not fall into like so many others in the past.
The Far East is experiencing a great revival. Japan has the second highest GDP of any nation in the world. China is well on it’s way to becoming a burgeoning superpower in its own right and places like N. Korea are becoming extremely volatile. The situation we have to watch for is the coalition to balance American power. It would be extraordinarily unlikely that Japan and China will ever mount an alliance against the United States, although it is possible. Like said before, this wouldn’t be a military alliance so much as a political one. Another possible situation is a Chinese-Indian coalition, also unlikely but still likely enough to be a major concern. Any sort of such alliance would be enough to drive American influence out of the Far East and crush American soft power in the region.
Even if China decided it was time to challenge the United States it wouldn’t even equal the American economy until the years 2056-2095 (Nye 20). Chinese economy in the year 2006 is roughly equivalent to the American economy in the 1950’s, only without the added bonus of wartime economic boosts.
This burden does not lie solely on governmental shoulders, the citizens have a large, and maybe the most important, responsibility to elect leaders that will guide us or as truthfully as politicians can guide. This means that everyone must be active in polls, everyone must research all there is to know about the candidates. Then, and only then, shall we come to a collective decision as to who can represent us, guide us, and protect us through the hard times that inevitably lay ahead.
As history has shown in the past, and will show again, this essay and all others like it are pure speculation. History will have many surprises in store, such as the events of 9/11, which will inspire us and change the landscape of global politics. One thing is certain though. No one stays on top forever.
I centered the paragraphs and added an extra space to allow for easier reading.
THIS IS MY INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY. YOU MAY NOT USE THIS IN PART OR WHOLE ANYWHERE.[/color]