American Foreign Policy - Essay Example

American Foreign Policy al Affiliation “Is the United s in Hegemonic Decline?” The United s of America is not in hegemonic decline. This is basically because it continues to reign in international relationships. Global hegemony is a situation where one nation or state has a predominant role in organization, regulation and stabilization of the global political economy (Jerel and Scott 2014, 58). U.S.A currently exists as the only super power in the world and still yields the greatest regional and global influence.

Reports foretelling that the nation is in hegemonic decline are only raw data yet it is the international relationships that undergird a superpower. A global hegemony cannot be decided based on public opinion. What matters is international legitimacy which comes from global coalition of willing nations. This is something which US continues to gain ground in thus proving that it is not in a decline. The US has taken the international community as a whole. However, it is worth pointing out that some of this has taken place in a rather begrudging manner.

Its position as the world’s super power will only start to decline when the allegiances to the nation break down. America still wields influence, leadership and persuasion in the international stage just as it did decades ago. One clear illustration of this strong influence is its ability to set international laws and at the same time be able to ignore them as it is accountable to no other state in the world.Military power has always been an integral part of hegemony (Jerel and Scott 2014, 60).

This was quite evident during the World War period where nations which had the strongest military wielded so much global power in terms of political economy and relations. USSR and the USA were leading in this. Military power depends entirely on economic resources which are at the disposal of the state. It is something which the US has making it the nation with perhaps the most sophisticated military. The US is still moving in a path of progressive and democratic governance. It recognizes the freedom of the press, religion, association and expression.

This has earned it legitimate allies that look at the nation as a role model. Despite the fact that it is no saint when it comes to these governance issues, it has a legitimate team of allies that allow dictating stability and global shifts in terms of relations.Arguments have been put across that the growth of economies in certain world countries like China is causing a decline in US influence in global policies. However, this is not true as the economic growth in other nations will not automatically result in increased influence.

Countries like France, United Kingdom and Germany still have a formidable alliance with US (Jerel and Scott 2014, 85). Most of the rich and industrialized nations are living in a global system which is dictated by the US. It is therefore quite evident that even with the economic crises and the political dysfunctions, the United States of America remains the only world superpower and will continue to dictate the international power dynamics and policies for centuries to come.BibliographyJerel, Rosati, and Scott James.2014. The politics of United States foreign policy. 6th ed. Independence, KY: Wadsworth Publishing.