US Hegemony and Global Governance

Abstract

In today’s globalized world, national borders are increasingly becoming less and less important and transnational actors have come to dominate the international arena. Concepts such as denationalization and deterritorialization occupy a significant place in global political discourse while opportunities for governance beyond the Westphalian nation-state have been created. The idea of global governance moves one step further from globalized markets and societies and extends the sphere of politics to the global level. Although noted for its inherent ambiguities, the concept of global governance revolves around political integration of states and centralizing human societies through formal and informal mechanisms on a global scale. After the disintegration of the Soviet Union, the United States was designated as the undisputed superpower or hegemon providing political leadership to the world. However, as the process of global governance dwindles down the importance of nation-states and embarks on a course of transnational integration and institutionalism, global governance and US hegemony have become two conflicting ideas. In this backdrop, this study aims at examining the impact of global governance on hegemonic intentions of the United States and whether the US hegemony can survive in a context of global governance. This study includes three main objectives, first of which being to critically analyze the concept of global governance using available literature and international relations theory, thus identifying the key aspects of the concept. Secondly, the study aims at investigating the extent of US hegemony in the current world order and the third objective of this study is to examine the impact of global governance on US hegemony. This study is qualitative in nature and is mainly based on secondary data. As per the study, the US hegemony will not be diminished in a context of global governance. The study concludes that at times, the United States can be seen as a driver of global governance with its political role in establishing and maintaining international or global institutions that govern international relations today. According to the concept of global governance, international organizations or institutions may take over the role of a hegemon in the international arena. However, as per the study, the US would profit from global governance using its influence and power over international organizations, thus surviving at a powerful position in the global milieu.