The Decline of US Hegemony: Emerging Power(s) and the Future of World Politics
ECPR (European Consortium for Political Research) Graduate Conference 2012 in Bremen (http://new.ecprnet.eu/Conferences/Graduate/Default.aspx)
Call for Paper Abstracts
Panel Section: International Relations
Panel Proposal: The Decline of US Hegemony: Emerging Power(s) and the Future of World Politics
Since the emergence of the US as the world’s superpower almost 50 years ago, the discourse on its imminent hegemonic decline has been ongoing for quite some time. But, in the past few years, the advent of non-traditional security threats especially after 9/11 vis-à-vis the ongoing domestic economic and political problems in the American homeland have been considered as illustrative of the diminished relative power of the US in global politics. This is further complicated, moreover, by the long-standing economic recession in the US-led global political economy. More importantly, the rapid economic growth of China and other emerging powers, traditionally considered as countries from the Global South, has also been quite suggestive of the receding relative power of American hegemony. Some have even argued that the days of American global dominance could be nearly over, and the most promising candidate to replace it is China (Jacques, 2009). Alternatively, is the rise of China be considered as a non-issue at all for US interests in the long-run, as it will be eventually absorbed in the US-led (Ikenberry, 2006) global order? Is the decline of the US’ global dominance more of a wishful thinking or a highly probable reality, in view of the current trends in global politics? Is there a reasonable basis in arguing for the imminent emergence of an ‘Asian Century’ (Mahbubani, 2008)? Is the rise of China as a global power a fundamental threat to US interests? What are the prospects of trans-Atlantic relations in a post-American global (dis)order?
In view of these developments, this panel aims to bring together contributors who primarily address today’s burning issues related to the purported decline of US hegemony. Moreover, this panel endeavors to tackle the following fundamental questions: How shall we best understand analytically the current developments in the global political economy as well as the long-standing domestic problems in the US vis-à-vis the argument supporting its hegemonic decline? What can international relations theory and history offer us to best address the problem of US decline? What should be the future direction of US foreign policy in order to strategically adapt to the current trends in global politics, particularly the rise of emerging powers such as China?
Abstract submissions (max. 300 words) from graduate students can be sent to santino.regilme@fu-berlin.de on or before mid-December 2011
Panel Chair
Salvador Santino F. Regilme, Jr. B.A., M.A.
PhD Candidate (Political and Social Sciences)
Graduate School of North American Studies
Department of Politics, John F. Kennedy Institute for North American Studies
Freie Universität Berlin
santino.regilme@fu-berlin.de
