The debates surrounding America's hegemonic decline : a critical assessment

Abstract

As the United States led the military, economic and diplomatic response to Iraq's invasion of Kuwait, Secretary of State James Baker was asked whether the determined American leadership discredited the frequently asserted notion tha t America had been toppled from its hegemonic pedestal. He responded th a t he never believed such theories.1 To many people, Secretary Baker's assessment would seem fairly reasonable. After all, in the previous year he--along with the rest of the worldhad witnessed the collapse of Soviet power in Eastern Europe, the rejection of communist controlled command economies in favour of democracy and market-based economies, and the heralding of the 'end of the Cold War.' The obvious implication was th a t the U.S., as the leader of the non-communist world, had 'won' the Cold War. Furthermore, the Kuwaiti crisis was proving th a t global leadership could not be based exclusively upon a vibrant national economy. Though endowed with flourishing economies, Germany (or the European Community for th a t ma tte r2) and Japan appeared incapable of assuming the mantle of world leadership. The United States, alone, demonstrated the capability and willingness to project its military might into the Persian Gulf to deter further Iraqi aggression and, ultimately, to eject Iraq from Kuwait.