In this essay we will be talking and critically examining the concept of hegemony in the exercise of power at the national level.
Hegemony is the political, economic, or military predominance or control of one state over others. In ancient Greece, hegemony denoted the politico-military dominance of a city-state over other city-states.
In todays society with the existence of hegemony it allows states to exert their main powers so that they can test each other. The United States for example is one Nation that exerts this, the use of hegemony there has been going on for centuries. At this moment you have nations competing, expanding their military, stopping people form crossing their borders and investing in weapons to defend their countries. America had/has established themselves as being a superpower in todays eyes, after the cold and Vietnam war ( Michael Cox, 2001). But its not only the United States on the rise to power China is also on the rise and they are both heading for a Hegemonic Transition which is the associated term hegemon is used to identify the actor, group, class, or state that exercises hegemonic power or that is responsible for the dissemination of hegemonic ideas. Hegemony derives from a Greek term that translates simply as “dominance over” and that was used to describe relations between city-states, (Oxford English Dictionary)
Since the end of the Cold War, the United States has been 'truly alone in the world',48 with respect to a number of indicators of material power. Between 1998 and 2007 world military expenditure increased by 33 per cent, whereas US military expenditure increased by 66 per cent :49 it currently accounts for close on 50 per cent of all global expenditure on defence ( Ian Clark , 2011).
Clark states that the United Sates share of global GDP has ranged between 23 and 36 per cent since the 1960s, but is larger than the combined EU total, and stands at three times that of China.
Today as the United States and China battle for dominance, china is the one who seems to be dominating the most. China has taken over the United States when it come to how fast they are growing, this has lead to the prospect of transcendent Chinese wealth and power, coupled with America's devaluation of its own political and economic prestige, has led to mounting speculation about China's emergence as a global hegemon to rival and, perhaps in time, surpass the United States. (Middle East Policy Council, 2017). At the moment the United States is trying to keep its military power above chinas as to keep them down, Given the continuing disparities in national power, the ensuing struggle would be a long one. (Middle East Policy Council, 2017). As stated by Ambassador Chas W. Freeman, Jr, the trigger would probably be some incident derived from U.S. military operations offshore China or from the Taiwan issue, to which Sino-American relations remain hostage.
With current trade a agreements in place China and the United States are in front, with Americans buying a lot more Chinese products that their own, and with the Chinese buying less American made goods, it leaves the United States with much to be desired from their rival nation. As Stated in the New York Times The two powers are seeking to reshape the economies and political systems of the world’s most populous region in its own image.The United States’ military capabilities still dominate Asia. But China has started to wield growing military power and economic leverage to reorder the region, pulling longtime American allies like the Philippines and Indonesia closer. With a trade deal going ahead without the United States, has left Asian nations to rethink their strategies and go on ahead with out American dominant leadership. This trade deal shows how countries like Japan and Australia and pave their own way and go ahead without American Leadership, this new deal replaces the Trans-Pacific Partnership, which the American President effectively killed.
The dominant state is known as the hegemon. In the 19th century, hegemony came to denote the "Social or cultural predominance or ascendancy; predominance by one group within a society or milieu". Later, it could be used to mean "a group or regime which exerts undue influence within a society". (Oxford English Dictionary), This power is what controls most nations and China and the United States are the best examples.
The Marxist theory of cultural hegemony, associated particularly with Antonio Gramsci, is the idea that the ruling class can manipulate the value system and mores of a society, so that their view becomes the world view
Gramsci realized that in order to create and maintain a new society, you also needed to create and maintain a new consciousness. The power of cultural hegemony lies in its invisibility. Unlike a soldier with a gun or a political system backed up by a written constitution, culture resides within us.
in this essay we have critically examined the concept of hegemony in the exercise of power at the national level, between china and the United States, and how the concept of hegemony, can give them power over other nations. China and the United States are both battling to be the number one in our economy, by trading and most beige that it is the United States that is more dependent on China to purchase their goods but China is highly dependent on U.S. demand for its products. Economic growth in China is heavily dependent on exports. America is a powerful country but that power is slowly slipping away and being taken by someone else,
American diplomacy has been essential to multinational agreements on trade, climate, regional security and arms control. Americans claim to be at the centre of a “rules-based international order. According to the conversation those days are gone, not only do China and Russia contest America’s global role, a growing number of other countries are asserting an independent and increasingly influential role in regional economic and security developments, (the conversation 2018). Not only has American political parties come to terms with this, until they do, U.S. global actions are likely to be less effective, even counterproductive.
The United States is now relying on those countries who can't help themselves and using their influence they are sustaining power in those regions. But what the United States can do so can others with Russia and Turkey establishing relations in the Middle East, especially Turkey a rising regional power, becoming more interdependent according to The Conversation 2018.
In Asia, decades of U.S. condemnation and efforts to contain the rise of Chinese power have failed. An assertive China has risen. China now plays almost as powerful a role in the global economy as the U.S. China has created new multilateral organisations for security discussions and one for infrastructure loans, which the U.S. declined to join. With a stronger global role on climate change. And China is spreading its political and economic influence into Africa and Latin America. (The Conversation 2018).
The U.S. cannot slow Chinese economic growth nor contain its power. China is changing the rules, whether the U.S. likes it or not. Other countries, like the Philippines and Australia, hedge their bets by improving bilateral relations with China. And India is a growing economic and military presence in the Indian Ocean and Southeast Asia.
Military power, the American global trump card, is not as useful a tool as it once was.
While the U.S. continues to have the world’s only global military capability, able to deploy anywhere, it is no longer evident that this capability effectively sustains U.S. leadership. Clear military victories are few – the Gulf War in 1991 being an exception. The endless U.S. deployment in Afghanistan carries the whiff of Vietnam in its inability to resolve that country’s civil war.
The Trump “America First&r
dquo; foreign policy is based on the view that the U.S. needs to defend its interests by acting alone, eschewing or withdrawing from multilateral arrangements for trade, economics, diplomacy or security
In response, allies distance themselves from the United States. Others are emboldened to act in an equally nationalistic and assertive way.