Unipolarity Without Hegemony
David Wilkinson
The current power configuration of the world system is unipolarity without hegemony. Nonhegemonic understudied, and deserves study. A few previous instances can be found in history Central system: they are usually brief, associated with intense warfare, hegemonism, counteralliance, exhaustion, collapse into multipolarity. In other systems, however, nonhegemonic has been more frequent, durable, diverse exits. Plausible exit scenarios from unipolar phase exist for U.S. hegemony, bipolarity tripolarity (via rise European Union and/or China), multipolarity introversion), but all entail rather lengthy evolutionary processes. Unipolarity hegemony not inherently unstable, could endure decades. probably equilibrium rules its maintenance. affects characteristic structure “deadly quarrels” system, allows some approaches to policy issue readily available less centralized structures. further comparative theoretical attention.
International Studies Review