Hegemony IN THE CONTEMPORARY WORLD .pptx

HEGEMONY DESCRIBES THE INFLUENCE OF ONE COUNTRY TO OTHERS

1. Hegemony Dr Marium Kamal, 25/08/2021

2. Introduction Hegemony is imperialism with good manners. The word hegemony comes from the Greek word  hegemon [meaning leader]. The principle meaning is divided between the two following concepts, 1) the material aspect of domination [predominance of military and economic capabilities] and 2) the normative aspect of leadership [rise of political morality beside the material capabilities]. Theoretically the concept of hegemony in global scenario is political and cultural dominance or authority over others and it requires legitimacy from the group on which it possesses control. Watson (2002) believes hegemony is the material condition that enables one or group of powers in a collective system to build pressure and inducement to bear that most others states lose some of their freedom of action de facto , through not de jure . According to Mearsheimer, “great powers, I argue, are always searching for opportunities to gain power over their rivals, with hegemony as their final goal” (2001: 16). It may require a great capacity of coercion or a great degree of influence and control within the international system; it does not cover any form of annexation, occupation, and accusation of any other territory as per the traditional form of politics. Whereas, Ian Clark (2011) defines hegemony in terms of ‘dominance and leadership’, dominance through material gain and leadership through political morality.

3. Antoniades explains hegemony as follows: “ The factors on which the superiority of the hegemon may lie include geography, natural resources, industrial, financial and in general economic, military capacity and preparedness, population [including both quantitative and qualitative aspects such as education], morale and unity, quality of diplomacy and government, technological” (2008: 02).

4. Gramscian A pproach It is argued that hegemony could be further divided in two types, through 1 ) political control: domination that is based on coercion, and 2 ) hegemony that is based on consent. “ Hegemony represents the status of the most powerful country in international system or the position of a dominant state in a specific region. For Gramsci hegemony entails ‘cooperation ensured by force’, combing social and political supervision, force and consent” (Yilmaz, 2010: 194).

5. Mearsheimer’s explanation that there are five assumptions behind great power starvation for hegemony: 1) sustained anarchy in international system [security competition], 2 ) states’ possess offensive military capability against their rivals, 3 ) uncertain situation and hostile intentions and distrust among states, 4 ) survival is foremost goal of great powers, 5 ) great powers are the rational actors in international system. Sait Yilmaz has also identified five essential characteristics of state-unit to become a power center, 1 ) economical capacity influential globally, 2 ) technological development particularly in energy and communication, 3 ) money; globally valued and saved, 4 ) a strong military with nuclear arms and 10 infantry divisions operational at overseas areas, 5 ) geographically positioned with a crucial ally, main sea routes, drinkable water resources, energy sources, and defensive features.

6. Pre and during Cold War Era The adopted hegemonic topology was imperialistic in nature among the nation-states dominated by conflictual violence. “However, to the extent that resources to coercion came to be undesirable, ineffective or even impossible, due to the cooperation of relations between nations, the ties of interdependence, the need for cooperation or whatever, the appeal to consensus gave rise to a new kind of order, the hegemonic order” ( Faria , 2013: 197). Susan Strange in 1994s advocated that exercise of power has a relational aspect with hegemony, through the ability to force other’s behavior and to decide the rules of the game, within the international structure. She further argues that a shift has been observed in the process of state-system evolution, it produced an order in which use of force is being gradually replaced by ideology: the hegemonic order.

7. C ontemporary Political Economy or Post Cold War Era. In the contemporary political economy appeared as one of the most dominating factor of national power. Nations can become global or regional powers by opting reasonable economic and social strategies, by developing human resources instead of aggression, by attracting skilled and educated people, by technology and development. “ Even Henry Kissinger, with his deeply rooted belief in classical balance-of-power politics, conceded in 1975 speech that we are entering a new era. Old international patterns are crumbling. The world has become interdependent in economics, in communications, in human aspirations” (Nye, 1990: 156).