Current World Order: Unipolar or Multipolar? Flashcards
examine why there is disagreement about whether global relations today are unipolar or multipolar
economic (the USA is still the economic hegemon v the USA is no longer the economic hegemon)
cultural (the USA is still the cultural hegemon v the USA is no longer the cultural hegemon)
military (the USA is still the military hegemon v the USA is no longer the military hegemon)
economic (the USA is no longer the economic hegemon)
there are significant disagreements about whether global relations today are unipolar or multipolar because many people disagree about whether or not the USA is still the economic hegemon
on one hand, it can be argued that the world is now multipolar because the BRICS states are rising in economic influence and pose real threats to US hegemony in terms of its economic power
together, the BRICS states represent nearly 20% of global GDP and 17% of global trade
in particular, China is often regarded as the power that most directly challenges the idea of unipolarity as it is soon expected to overtake the US economy in terms of both GDP and foreign direct investment, possibly even as soon as 2020, due to its rapid growth that far exceeds the growth rates of the USA
in fact, China has already overtaken the USA as the biggest investor in Africa and South America, a particular threat to US hegemony seeing as the US regards South America as its ‘backyard’
the USA is also in debt to China – in 2017, its debt to China amounted to over $1 trillion
economic (the USA is still the economic hegemon)
on the other hand, global relations can be seen as unipolar because the USA still remains the world’s largest economy and has not yet been overtaken
for instance, its GDP in 2016 was over $18 trillion, whereas China’s was only $11 trillion
moreover, despite the 2008 financial crisis, the US dollar is still the main form of international currency and Wall Street is the world’s central global trading hub
the USA also has huge amounts of economic structural power in important organs of global economic governance, such as the World Trade Organisation, World Bank and IMF
for example, within the IMF, decisions require an 85% majority, and seeing as the USA alone wields over 16% of the voting share, it has the power of veto and the ability to knock down any rulings or decisions that it deems to be against its national interest
this suggests that the world is still unipolar, with the USA sitting at the apex
cultural (the USA is no longer the cultural hegemon)
there is also disagreement over cultural power and whether this still belongs solely to the US, thus making the world unipolar, or whether it has been dispersed to other states, suggesting that multipolarity has flourished
arguably, emerging states challenge US cultural dominance
other cultures are becoming more influential on a global scale
for example, Bollywood is in direct competition with Hollywood and the most popular sports teams in the world are Manchester United and Real Madrid
despite claims that cultural globalisation is merely Americanisation, it has actually led to the spread of various cultures all around the globe, with Chinese cuisine being one of the most popular in the world, particularly in the West
China has been expanding its global cultural influence by opening Confucius Institutes across the world, which spread Chinese values
this points to the idea that the world is now more multipolar than ever before
cultural (the USA is still the cultural hegemon v the USA)
nevertheless, many political commentators disagree and argue that the USA is still the dominant cultural force in the international system
for example, in 2015, according to Forbes, 8 of the 10 most successful brands in the world were American (Apple, Microsoft, Google, Coca-Cola, etc)
the dominance of such American cultural has even led many political commentators to argue that globalisation is simply another word for ‘Americanisation’
for instance, Coca Cola is undeniably one of the most recognised brands in the world, with an estimated 94% of the world’s population recognising the logo, and 7.5 billion humans on the planet, each person will consume at least 1 Coca Cola product every 4 days
this indicates that the world is still dominated by the USA, making it unipolar
military (the USA is no longer the military hegemon)
finally, there is also disagreement over whether global relations are unipolar or multipolar as many are divided over whether the USA is still the hegemon in terms of military power
Russia and China are both beginning to challenge US military might, both in terms of the global reach of their forces and the sophistication of their weaponry
China is developing short and medium-range missiles and nuclear-powered submarines in order to have the dominant military force in the South China Sea
while Russia announced that it had constructed the world’s most lethal nuclear weapon, the RS:28 Sarmat, which can dodge radar, travel up to 10,000 km and carry up to 12 warheads
military (the USA is still the military hegemon)
contrastingly, others disagree and argue that the USA still remains the dominant military power despite challenges from Russia and China
not only does it have world’s largest military budget (in 2015 it spent $610 billion on defence, which is more than the rest of the world’s spending on defence put together, with its nearest rival China only spending $216 billion)
but it also has 800 military bases in over 70 countries (Russia only has 10) and 13 operational aircraft carriers (whereas Russia and China both only have 1)
the US Navy is also greater in size than that of the next 17 Navies combined
the USA is clearly the sole power that can intervene militarily in any part of the world and sustain multiple operations, having truly global military reach
therefore, the world seems to be unipolar
