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"AFTER HEGEMONY" (ROBERT KEOHANE).   Term Paper ID:20646 Click to get this paper

Essay Subject: Critical review of 1984 work on theory of global politics & economics & influence of U.S. after 1945.... More...

6 Pages / 1350 Words 3 sources, 7 Citations, APA Format $24.00 Return to List of Papers

Paper Abstract: Critical review of 1984 work on theory of global politics & economics & influence of U.S. after 1945. Paper Introduction: Book Review: After Hegemony The subject of this review is Robert Keohane's book, After Hegemony. The review will discuss some of the points made by Keohane in his book and the strengths and weaknesses of the book. It will also take into account some of the criticisms of the book by other reviewers and place the ideas proposed in the book in the context of events which have occurred since its publication. Published in 1984, After Hegemony attempts to explain the influence of the United States in world affairs after 1945, particularly focusing upon the reasons for the decline in American influence since the 1970s and the state of international cooperation in the post-hegemonic era. In doing so, Robert Keohane connects international political influence with economic Text of the Paper: The entire text of the paper is shown below. However, the text is somewhat scrambled. We want to give you as much information as we possibly can about our papers and essays, but we cannot give them away for free. In the text below you will find that while disordered, many of the phrases are essentially intact. From this text you will be able to get a solid sense of the writing style, the concepts addressed, and the sources used in the research paper. Princeton: Princeton University Press. Theproblem with the book in this regard may be that it was written too early,before the severe problems of those countries became apparent to westernacademics. [Review of After Hegemony: Cooperation andDiscord in the World Political Economy]. According to Keohane, the existence of such regimes has ensured thecooperation of countries in the absence of the hegemony of one nation.Thus, cooperation between the major industrialized democracies has beenmaintained since the 197 s, even though the power and influence of theUnited States has waned. The abrupt decline of the Soviet Union resulted in an almost equallyabrupt ascent of American power. Third Worldcountries have nowhere to look but to the West, and particularly to theUnited States, for aid and assistance, since they lost the sponsorship ofthe Soviet Union. 6). 88-1 6). 237). . It can be argued that the other nations went along withthe coalition because it was in their interest and that the cooperation wasthe result of factors mentioned in Keohane's book. Throughout the book, however,Keohane develops the idea that states are the most important actors inworld politics and that governments construct rules for internationalcooperation which serve to help states in pursuing the twin goals of wealthand power (pp. Regimes reduce uncertainty and force behavior into predictablepatterns. If pollution controls cost the factory $1 , and protectionfrom the pollution cost the business $2 , , the two parties could beexpected to settle the problem by having the business owner pay the factoryowner an amount between $1 , and $2 , to install the pollutioncontrols. There are otheractors who affect the political decision-making process of nations,including corporations; these actors often force a country to take courseswhich are not necessarily in its interest. He says that regimes, such asinternational agreements and the bodies set up to administer theseagreements, are used by states to pursue their goals in internationalpolitics. On the other hand, therenewed reliance of many countries on the United States for solutions toconflicts suggests another possibility. On the other hand, the economic situation of the UnitedStates has not changed since Keohane wrote his book and countries such asJapan are no longer economically dwarfed by the United States. Modelski suggests that hegemony may consist of globalleadership, as well as "preponderance of material resources" (1986, p.725). In presenting his points throughout the book, Keohane uses conceptswhich originated with economics in order to explain the behavior ofparticipants in international politics. American Political ScienceReview, 8 , pp. Foreign Affairs, 63, pp. The explanation for cooperation between thecommunist countries during the late 197 s and early 198 s was certainlymore complex than just the hegemony of the Soviet Union over the bloc. Keohane argues that international regimes have been established inorder to deal with these problems. None of these conditions is present ininternational politics (p. The building of the military coalition in199 to drive Iraq out of Kuwait was accomplished by the United Statesvirtually alone. Keohane, R. However, post-hegemony cooperation is not asgreat as cooperation under the hegemony of a single nation. What post-hegemonic regimes can do is facilitate theinformal negotiations which are carried on under their rubric; byestablishing a framework for cooperation, the regimes encourage nations tocooperate with each other in the pursuit of goals and interests (p. Keohane also refers to the Coase Theorem, widely used in basiceconomic analysis, when developing a theory concerning the functioning ofwhat he calls international regimes. After Hegemony: Cooperation and Discord inthe World Political Economy. For instance, Keohane failed to take into account culture as asystem of cooperation. (1984). Keohane simply classifies therivalry with the Soviet Union as one of the interests of the United Statesand other western countries. (1984). It is this last point which may be most interesting in view of eventssince 1989. The Coase Theorem has long providedan explanation for how actors might efficiently settle disputes without theintervention of a central governmental authority. Published in 1984, After Hegemony attempts to explain the influenceof the United States in world affairs after 1945, particularly focusingupon the reasons for the decline in American influence since the 197 s andthe state of international cooperation in the post-hegemonic era. 18-26). In doingso, Robert Keohane connects international political influence with economicperformance, evaluating some of the theories which have been used tointerpret international politics. Incontrast, post-hegemonic regimes and agreements must do without enforcementby a superior power; the regimes themselves cannot act as international"governments" and are powerless to enforce the agreements enacted undertheir authority. Thus, the purpose of the book,according to Keohane, is to "diagnose the reasons for such failure" inorder to develop "remedies" for the future (1984, p. In addition, compliance is based upon damage to a country'sreputation which may occur in the event of noncompliance. References Diebold, W. Keohane argues that international "regimes" can work toencourage cooperation between nations, even though there is no "power" toenforce any agreements. Keohane organizes the book into two basic sections. Keohane's book was generally well-received by other academics as anexplanation for post-hegemonic cooperation (Diebold, 1984). In conclusion, After Hegemony presents an important theoreticalframework for the study of international cooperation in the modern world.Keohane's arguments concerning the possibilities for cooperation in theabsence of a hegemonic power have a lot of logical merit and his use ofbasic economic theory is an important tool for the understanding ofinternational cooperation. Book Review: After Hegemony The subject of this review is Robert Keohane's book, After Hegemony.The review will discuss some of the points made by Keohane in his book andthe strengths and weaknesses of the book. (1986). The main problem with Keohane's book is that it fails to deal withthe Soviet Union and the communist bloc. 414-15. Modelski, G. It might also be said that a principal problem with thebook is that it was written a few years too early; the value of, andpossibilities for, international cooperation are much greater at thepresent than they were during the 198 s. Keohane asserts that governments often look past their immediateself-interest in a particular situation and act with regards to their totalinterest. As Keohane notes, however, such a theory assumes a legalframework for establishing liability (the factory owner is induced tosettle and install the controls by the threat of legal action on the partof the business owner), perfect information on the parts of both parties,and zero transaction costs. Keohane uses these theories to establisha framework for the evaluation of cooperation between countries with commoninterests and to explain why cooperation can either fail or continue in theabsence of the hegemony of a single nation. Hegemoniccooperation involves the enforcement of agreements and regimes by thenation in power, acting as a sort of international government. Each one affects the other to such a greatdegree that it is impossible to discuss one without referring to the other. In this section he develops a theoretical basis forhis idea that while international cooperation is most effective when thereis a single nation whose overwhelming power and influence forces othernations to cooperate, cooperation is also possible when there is nohegemonic power. It may be possible either that thehegemony of the United States did not really end in the 197 s, as assertedby Keohane, or that hegemony has been restored to the United States since1989. One reason for this is that theactivities known as "politics" and "economy" are inextricably intertwined,especially in the modern world. One reviewnoted that while Keohane made a clear and convincing argument concerninginternational cooperation, he failed to address all aspects of cooperationbetween nations, some of which do not neatly fit within his theoreticalframework. Although compliance with these regimes is not universal orconstant, governments comply with them more often than would normally bethought. Such an idea is much more important now than when the book, and thereview, were written. In addition, it has become traditional to discuss wealth and power ascomplementary, with one leading to the other. 724-26.----------------------- 3 In fact,preservation of reputation is a rational interest; non-compliance with aregime will cause other countries to regard the miscreant with suspicion inthe future (pp. The firstsection sets up the theoretical basis for his theory concerning post-hegemony cooperation. 85-87) . The classic example isthat of a polluting factory and a business adversely affected by thepollution. Keohane argues that whilethis view still has considerable merit, it is too simplistic to explain allaspects of the modern international political economy. [Review of After Hegemony: Cooperation andDiscord in the World Political Economy]. In addition, the same reviewer suggested thatKeohane may have overlooked other aspects of hegemony, suggesting thathegemony may not have disappeared yet (Modelski, 1986). The main weakness of the book is its failure toexamine the workings of cooperation within the communist bloc during thesame time period. It will also take into accountsome of the criticisms of the book by other reviewers and place the ideasproposed in the book in the context of events which have occurred since itspublication. In the second section, Keohane presents anabbreviated political and economic history of the western world after WorldWar Two to show how his theory has some basis in fact. Since both were published, the communist bloc ineastern Europe has disappeared and it is generally accepted that there isnow only one "superpower" in the world, the United States. If this paper is not what you are looking for, you can search again: Search for: or Click here to request an essay written just for you.