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Good-Bye Hegemony! Power and Influence in the Global System

Online ISBN:
9781400850426
Print ISBN:
9780691160429
Publisher:
Princeton University Press
Book

Good-Bye Hegemony! Power and Influence in the Global System

Simon Reich,
Simon Reich
Rutgers University
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Richard Ned Lebow
Richard Ned Lebow
King's College London
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Published online:
19 October 2017
Published in print:
23 March 2014
Online ISBN:
9781400850426
Print ISBN:
9780691160429
Publisher:
Princeton University Press

Abstract

Many policymakers, journalists, and scholars insist that U.S. hegemony is essential for warding off global chaos. This book argues that hegemony is a fiction propagated to support a large defense establishment, justifying American claims to world leadership, and buttressing the self-esteem of voters. It is also contrary to American interests and the global order. This book argues that hegemony should instead find expression in agenda setting, economic custodianship, and the sponsorship of global initiatives. Today, these functions are diffused through the system, with European countries, China, and lesser powers making important contributions. In contrast, the United States has often been a source of political and economic instability. Rejecting the focus on power common to American realists and liberals, the book offers a novel analysis of influence. In the process, they differentiate influence from power and power from material resources. Their analysis shows why the United States, the greatest power the world has ever seen, is increasingly incapable of translating its power into influence. The book's analysis formulates a more realistic place for America in world affairs.

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