TA’s Name:
Decline of the American Empire since 2003/Hegemony
Introduction
Hegemony is a term mostly used to refer to forms of government where one government dominates another government by use of power or a threat of immense force directed towards it. Hegemony can be defined as imperial dominance where a government dominates another government politically by manipulating the social system of power to suit them. An empire can be defined as a controlled region where order and stability in governance has been implemented. The American empire has had hegemony over other states in the world for quite a long time where it has influenced systems of government in other countries. This kind of dominance has been influenced by the strength of the American economy where it’s referred to as a developed country in the World. Since the country acquired its Independence form Great Britain, the country embarked on a restructuring program that saw it develop its economy and strengthen its currency over world currencies. The American economy is one of the world largest and this places the country in a better position to influence or dominate other countries in the World. The economy gives power and political say in major world organization may which trade, commerce, development or peace. The America is a powerhouse that dominates in most organizations where politics, social and culture are involved. But over the years the country’s dominance has lowered due to several factors since 2003. These factors range from political, economic and social factors that have led to the decline in the American Empire. This paper seeks to reveal these factors and the role they have played in declining the American Empire on a global scale.
Factors that led to this decline
There have been a number of factors that have led to the decline of the American empire as a super power since the year 2003. These factors range from political, social and economic factors that have led to the decline in American dominance on the global scale. Other world economies have been on the rise also as they seek to oust America as the world super power. The world viewed America as the culmination of political, economic, and social super power in the 80s and 90s but that has changed over the years as some countries are challenging this dominance. The American has been referred to as the land of opportunity due to its job creation initiatives that was used by the government to improve the economy of the country. The country boasts of having global companies that play a major role in influencing world currencies and economies. The country has immense wealth which ranges from minerals and oil to forests and water resources. An improved infrastructure has been a major boost to this increasing development in the country where companies are able to start businesses and run them and in result pay taxes to the government. Some of these factors are explained below, they include:
Political factors
The United States have been a global force to reckon with in terms of military power, economic and cultural factors. During the cold war the United States was a powerhouse that had amassed great wealth and commanded a large fleet of military infrastructure. But this power has been on the declining trend due to its involvement in wars that have lacked support from its allies like the French and the Germans. Other political super powers are emerging and they seem to command a considerable stake in most of the United Nations General assembly on matters of security. The American government in 2003 passed a motion to invade Iraq and several Middle East countries. The motion at the United Nation Security Council lacked support from its allies like the French which led to the United States invading Iraq alone without the help of its allies. This move worsened the economic power of America as it exhausted most of its resources in the war instead of resolving to rebuild the country which was undergoing major economic decline. Poor policy formulation by the government has even affected its political supremacy on the global market as new world democracies are emerging especially in Europe that are seen to overtake the Americans. German and Russia have been advocating for national building and strengthening their currencies which has led to the growth of industries and new markets for their products.
The American cold war with Russia played a major role in the factors that led to a declining economy in America. During war very little business is carried out as major companies fear loss of property and lives during a conflict and thus tends to close business until the conflict is resolved. Peace must exist if companies and government stability are to thrive. The American congress has passed laws that seek to put the American economy at a risk of decline due to its involvement in wars and conflicts that require large resources that would otherwise be used to develop the country and improve its services to its citizens. The recent closure of the American government is a clear indication of the effects of Hegemony and its effects on the American economy. The American dominance in fields like democracy, economics and social factors has declined over the years which have led to the emergence of other super powers that control the world market. The current status the United States enjoys is not the same it used to enjoy during the early years as its dominance has greatly been reduced and other nations are enjoying their new found status. Such countries include Britain, Japan, France, China, Russia, Italy and Germany.
Economic factors
Economically the United States has not been faring well due to factors that have been attributed by the cold war. The United States was a powerful nation during the cold war as it had the best military and economic muscles that it could flex when threatened. This phase has since been overtaken by several other drives that have left the country less powerful. In 2003 after invading Iraq the country exhausted most of its reserves that had been used to stabilize the economy and it was left to rely on internal and external borrowing. This economic muscle power gave the United States the superiority over other nations around the world. The cold war gave the country its status after it emerged as a strong state with resources that it could arsenal against its enemies. During the Second World War the American nation was involved in the war and this led to the country using most of its resources in the war. This led to a decline in development as most of its resources and capital were directed towards the war. Most of the country's industries were converted to weapon manufacturers and this action led to a recession in the world market as little resources were directed towards development. In the year 2003 America invaded Iraq to oust Saddam Hussein out of power. This led to the divergence of the country's resources towards the war as it sought to defeat Saddam. This move has proved fatal in the eyes of Americans and the world at large. The country allocated most of its resources in the war and this led to a slow growth and subsequent emergence of other economies. Poor economic policies in the country where most of the country’s reserves were directed towards the war resulted in slow growth of the American economy. When a country uses most of its budget to fund a war it ends up losing economic strength as war requires a lot of resources to carry out.
The hegemony of world super power the America, has been a major decline in the world in terms of business as some countries are offering their goods and services at a more affordable rate than the Americans. China has over the years been a major cause of concern for the Americans as their products dominate the world market. This competition has been a major threat to businesses in America that offer the same goods as China. China has entered the African continent which boasts of having a lot of untapped resources and business opportunities. This economic advantage puts most of its industry in a better position than the American firms and thus a decline in market for American goods on the global market. A declining market and exhaustion of a country’s resources leads to decline in economic powers as it can be demonstrated by the American decline. A country needs to have strong monetary and fiscal policies to stabilize its economy which instead boasts the development projects in the country. Declining markets of American goods has led to losses in their companies which then results in loss of jobs and subsequent closure of the business. The government will in the process loss revenue collection if a company closes down and lay off its workers. This economic downfall has been a major contributor in the declining power of the American empire in what is commonly referred to as hegemony.
Social factors
There have been recent accusations laid against the American government and its involvement in spying among its allies. These accusations relate to how American agencies are spying its allies government a move that has put the American at logger heads with its allies. The recent case being spying claim on the German chancellor, a case that has been revealed in wiki leaks data of 2010. This act has placed the country at bad relations with some emerging countries in terms of development as they term the act as a form of neocolonialism. This has led to a dispute that American security agencies have been used to spy on its neighbors and destroyed the good relationship these countries enjoyed with the United States. Good working relationships with neighbors are good for business and cooperation. This break of trust between the American government and other heads of states has seen a deteriorating relationship that has led to low business with the American government. This decline in business has led to new business partners being sought, for example china and Japan has emerged as major business partners with Europe and Africa. This declining business affects the economy of America and results in low growth and development.
Poor relationship with its business partners due to its involvement in war in the Middle East has led to loss of business among most of its companies. This can be explained by an existing conflict which emerged after the American invaded Iraq to oust Saddam Hussein. Most of its allies like Canada and Mexico did not support this move while most of its European allies like Britain supported its move. The involvement of America in war mostly in the Middle East has resulted to poor relationship with the Arab nations which results in low business and a declining economy.
Conclusion
Bibliography
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