The United States Should Order World Politics

After two World Wars (WW I and II) and the cold War, United States took the superpower of the world. “United States has more power inthe world than any other state, and by a substantial margin”, (Posen, 2003, p.5), yet America had been faced with global conflicts and wars although not in large scale, similar to that of the first two world wars. Although world sees United States as policeman and superpower country around the globe, U.S sometimes face critical oppositions, resistant and proxy wars around the world. This become a problem that prompted United States to introduce strategies of power projecting embedded in some areas such as: military bases, economic control, soft power (political control), technology and waging wars on those

The debate over America power is one that is extremely relevant today, especially following this month’s revelation by the International Monetary Fund that China has just overtaken the US as the world’s biggest economy (Fray 2014). The two articles, ‘Is the United States in decline—again?’ (Cox 2007, pp. 643–653) and ‘The empire writes back’ (Williams 2007, pp. 945-950), take very different views on the state of America’s influence in the world today. Realists believe that the world is an anarchical environment, and states – who are the only actors – are all self-interested and driven by power. Cox takes this realist approach in his article, arguing that power is necessary for security and highlighting absolute power that includes factors such as military, economic and cultural indicators. In contrast, M. J. Williams’ response to Cox takes a very different view to the debate over American decline by dismissing realism as an inadequate and irrelevant policy-making device and instead concentrating on the importance of an interdependent international system, emphasising the value of relative power among states. Although the debate over American decline is polarising, it is clear that America is still the most dominant force in today’s world and hasn’t lost any significant amount of power. Broadly summarising the two articles, Cox believes decline is on-going in the U.S. today and has been for the past four decades. Whereas, Williams is of the

In 1787 President George Washington delivered his farewell speech. In it, he warned “It is our true policy to steer clear of permanent alliances with any portion of the foreign world; so far, I mean, as we are now at liberty to do it; for let me not be understood as capable of patronizing infidelity to existing engagements. I hold the maxim no less applicable to public than to private affairs, that honesty is always the best policy. I repeat it, therefore, let those engagements be observed in their genuine sense. But, in my opinion, it is unnecessary and would be unwise to extend them.” Today, the United States is entangled in too many alliances and too many problems. Since the 1990s, the U.S. has become more invested in being the world police, by becoming engaged in too many issues that did not affect them. They need to take care of their problems before dealing with other countries’. I believe that America’s role in the world should be equal to those of other countries—it should still be powerful, but it should use its power for itself primarily. Doing this, the United States would reduce war time and war

Charles Beard once described the US’s security policy as one built by perpetual war to ensure perpetual peace. The United States is regularly involved in confrontations between nations. Even though quelling disagreements is the primary purpose of getting mixed up in disputes between countries, at times the US strategically benefits through its peace initiatives. Moreover, such interventions promote global stability and make sure that the world is a peaceful place. The US should be involved in conflicts between countries because it provides weaker nations with a line of defense, prevents civilian casualties, promotes beneficial ideologies, expands the US’s influence, and protects the US from potential confrontations in the future.

From the mid-20th to the early-21st century, the United States faced many conflicts, pressures, and changes that were brought about by events and issues which occurred outside of American borders. In response, there was no way for the nation to avoid becoming more globalized. Globalization came in the form of economic, social, and political pressure on the country. Some of these shifts in policy and world view were brought on by necessity such as the energy crisis of the 1970’s. Others were by choice of policymakers such as Cold War foreign relations and the response to 9/11 and invasion of Iraq. The United States will continue to face global challenges as a world leader and its responses will have key consequences worldwide.

Today the United States functions in a dangerously unstable world. Proliferation, politically unstable Nations, economic instability and numerous other international issues threaten our nation and its prosperity. Therefore, the United States should protect its own global interests by striving for order and security. The US can do this by maintaining relationships between allied nations, avoid involvement in other nation’s human rights so not to hinder economic growth, and prevent proliferation of dangerous weapons in unstable groups’ hands that can threaten national and international security and stability.

President Barack Obama’s commencement address at West Point (Obama, 2014) was an effort to dispel all doubt of the United States’s (US) superiority and the belief that America was in decline. In that speech, he emphasised how America was still a global leader, in all counts militarily, economically and most importantly, on global affairs, with regards to liberal internationalist pursuits for world peace. And indeed from the end of the second world war, and especially after the fall of the Soviet Union, the US has been an unmatched unipolar hegemon in the world. Issues such as the 2003 invasion of Iraq and the 2008 economic crisis have greatly affected US standing in the world (American Political Science Association, 2009). This is also

The United States, it seems, serves as the unofficial international police. We attempt to impose our views on the world and then correct anyone that strays from our “status quo”. Through our diplomatic actions, America tries to preserve our national beliefs in exchange for the deterioration of another country’s. We were formed by the “global forces” who were attempting to create a global empire, but once we became our own nation, we became one of those forces (197).

Hegemony is one of few different logics pertaining to American foreign policy. It is defined as “preponderant influence or authority, especially of one nation over another” (Callahan, 2004, p. 12). In other words, the United States can be seen as the dominate nation over all other nations. This concept was first mentioned in Notes on the Southern Question (1926) by Antonio Gramsci and was defined as “a system of class alliance in which a ‘hegemonic class’ exercised political leadership over ‘subaltern classes’ by ‘winning them over’” (Ramos Jr., 1982). The logic of hegemony, as it relates to American foreign policy, is based on the idea that the United States would use its influence over other countries in order to provide leadership. Through

After the Cold War, the United States emerged victorious and became the sole super power in the international system. Since then, the US has been a champion of liberal democratic values such as very strong institutional protections of individual civil rights, free-market economy, governmental leaders who are elected by the people in fair and balance elections who make the choices concerning peace and war and a secular political order. However, in recent years there are debates and talks of what role the United States as a country should play in the future, especially after the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The debate on what path the nation should follow has led to debates with those who argue that we should revert back to isolationism and to others who believe the United States should submit its power to the United Nations and an international system of laws. But I argue for a different approach, an approach that the nation has used in the past and that is primacy.

Even in attempting to show the political and economic characteristics of hegemony, the term does not provide a contribution in understanding a more stable international system. The US during the post war period in maintaining their status as a hegemon has been problematic. There are contradictions to the maintenance of hegemony that has it made it very difficult for the US to keep their status. First, the privileges enjoyed by the hegemon are abnormal in the context where there are supposed to be specific and universal rules and principles. Second, “The hegemon may weary of the special burdens necessary to sustain” (Skidmore 26). The hegemon being the dominant power is going to have to define interest in broader terms, which can lead to

The first President of the United States of America, George Washington, dreamed of a future where The United States would “Possess the strength of a Giant and there will be none who can make [her] afraid.” More than two hundred years later the United States has achieved global power, that would even surpass Washington’s wildest imaginings. The twentieth century was greatly dominated by The United States, being one of the two superpowers for several decades, and then the only hyper-power to see the twentieth century. Now in the Twenty first century, we can truly look back and see the extent of how much the United States influenced the 20th century, and see why it is regarded to as the ‘American Century’.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the United States was the unquestioned hegemon of the western world acting in a unipolar world. However, recently the United States has fallen into a series of deprival causing its reputation to fall as a state. Despite this, under the Bush Doctrine, the United States currently has a preemptive hegemonic imperative policy. Under this policy, the United States takes into account that the world is a perilous environment in need of a leader to guide and to control the various rebel states unipolarly. Under this policy though, the United States acts alone with no assistance from other states or institutions. Global intuitions that would assist under other types of policies are flagrantly disregarded in this policy in spite of its emphasis on the international level. As well as not participating in international institutions, this policy states that the United States should act entirely in its own wisdom. The UN (the United Nations), GATT (General Agreement of Tariffs and Trade), along with other institutions advice is not heeded within this self-made policy. Though the United States currently acknowledges these global organizations, it no longer takes them into account with severity. Instead of acting under the international system, the United States currently acts through its military, and large economy to instill fear within the various actors in the intercontinental system. According to this philosophy the

No fundamental changes have occurred in the sources of the United States’ power and influence, such as the economy, science and technology, military strength, international political influence, and cultural soft power. The United States is still the only comprehensive superpower in the world. The difficulties and problems existing in the United States currently are fundamental or comprehensive. Some may be short-term. No overall, obvious and fundamental “decline” has appeared in the strength and status of the United States yet. Although the strength and influence of the United States is somewhat less than it was before the economic crisis began in 2008, no clear long-term decline trend has appeared.

Introduction: The United States has been the super power in the world for the past several decades and this has been mainly due to so many reasons ranging from technology, economic, political and military strength and implication of their foreign policy. However, due to various roles the United States played in most international events that occurred in the world, they have been referred to as the ‘’World Policemen’’ Adelman, 2013). Two major events involving the United States military as a result of their foreign policy created after the Civil War are: