Paper Topic:

American Foreign Policy

IS AMERICAN HEGEMONY IN DECLINE

Is the United States capable of maintaining its influence over the international system for the foreseeable future

2005

When thinking about the United States and their power of hegemony , one may feel a bit confused . On one hand , the United States can easily be seen as a superpower with the world 's most powerful military . On the other hand however , due to specific events , the United States has dramatically lost its powerful reputation and is beginning to also lose its legitimacy Wallerstein discussed that this

trend of hegemonic destruction began many years ago . He noted that much of the power of the United States began to decline with the Vietnam War . Wallerstein states "The economic , political , and military factors that contributed to U .S hegemony are the same factors that will inexorably produce the coming U .S . decline "Foreign Policy , 2002 . If this thought process is believed , one could say that the Vietnam War was a huge downfall for the United States in many ways . Not only did the war cost the country many lives , but it also showed the country as a less powerful power than everyone thought it was . It was also an expensive war and contributed to the decline in U .S . economical power In dealing with the Soviet Union and military choices during the Cold War , the United States helped dig its own grave . When the U .S . felt pressure to end the draft , they compensated by flaunting their nuclear weapons . This may have looked like a great idea , but then other countries began following the nuclear lead , creating a bigger problem for the United States . As Wallerstein stated "By 1949 , the Soviet Union had developed nuclear weapons as well . Ever since , the United States has been reduced to trying to prevent the acquisition of nuclear weapons (and chemical and biological weapons ) by additional powers , an effort that , in the 21st century , does not seem terribly successful "Foreign Policy , 2002 . After that , the United States passively allowed the Soviet Union to act as it wished , which only made the United States appear weaker When it came to the September 11th attacks , the power of the United States was challenged once more . This time however , it seemed that there was not a powerful military behind the attacks , making the United States look even worse than before . The attacks meant a lot to the country , but politically it challenged the power of the United States It made the country appear weak and vulnerable not only to other powerful countries , but to anyone who had the money to orchestrate attacks As many people see it , including Wallerstein , the United States is indeed a superpower however it is a superpower that lacks genuine power in the world . The country has broken many potentially useful alliances with other powers of the world . The split in leadership has also led the United States to become a country in which very few citizens respect its leader . These facts...

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