The Unipolar World
The Unipolar World
Within the confines of post-Westphalian time there is probably a near consensus amongst realists that the international system can be periodized as multipolar up to 1945, and then bipolar up to 1989. Unfortunately the assessment of polarity has become problematic since the end of the Cold War (Buzan and Little, 2000:391). Understanding the polarity of the international system may help us to have a better understanding the power distribution and the states’ behavior in the international political arena. This article will argue the post-Cold War order has been unipolar, and unipolarity remains being the most important characteristic of the current international system. There have not emerged other great powers that are likely to be able to challenge the USA’s dominance and transform the unipolar structure of the international system Unipolarity is defined as a distribution of power internationally in which there is clearly only one dominant power or ‘pole’ (Baylis et al, 2001:577). In terms of the distribution of power, the most significant consequence of the cold war was the triumph of the USA over its main rival- the Soviet Union. The new world order was soon unfolding in which USA held an unprecedentedly privileged position in the world, especially after the ensuing USA’s military victory over Iraq and the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 (Baylis et al, 2001:69). USA dramatically increased its weight in the international system. As Krauthammer argued that “The most striking feature of the post-Cold War world is its unipolarity”(Krauthammer, 1991). The USA has enjoyed special advantage in nearly every sphere. By 2000, the popular view was that the USA was more ‘hyperpower’, than mere ‘superpower’, (Baylis et al, 2001:70). William Wohlforth has argued that the USA’s dominance is durable because no other state is likely to be able to challenge the USA dominance in the contemporary world (Wohlforth, 1999). To be considered as a
Within the confines of post-Westphalian time there is probably a near consensus amongst realists that the international system can be periodized as multipolar up to 1945, and then bipolar up to 1989. Unfortunately the assessment of polarity has become problematic since the end of the Cold War (Buzan and Little, 2000:391). Understanding the polarity of the international system may help us to have a better understanding the power distribution and the states’ behavior in the international political arena. This article will argue the post-Cold War order has been unipolar, and unipolarity remains being the most important characteristic of the current international system. There have not emerged other great powers that are likely to be able to challenge the USA’s dominance and transform the unipolar structure of the international system Unipolarity is defined as a distribution of power internationally in which there is clearly only one dominant power or ‘pole’ (Baylis et al, 2001:577). In terms of the distribution of power, the most significant consequence of the cold war was the triumph of the USA over its main rival- the Soviet Union. The new world order was soon unfolding in which USA held an unprecedentedly privileged position in the world, especially after the ensuing USA’s military victory over Iraq and the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 (Baylis et al, 2001:69). USA dramatically increased its weight in the international system. As Krauthammer argued that “The most striking feature of the post-Cold War world is its unipolarity”(Krauthammer, 1991). The USA has enjoyed special advantage in nearly every sphere. By 2000, the popular view was that the USA was more ‘hyperpower’, than mere ‘superpower’, (Baylis et al, 2001:70). William Wohlforth has argued that the USA’s dominance is durable because no other state is likely to be able to challenge the USA dominance in the contemporary world (Wohlforth, 1999). To be considered as a