US LEADERSHIP

US Leadership



Table of Content

Thesis Statement3

Introduction3

Discussion5

Power, Authority and International Politics5

New World Order6

Ideology and Its Tools7

Relationship with Muslim States8

Extent of Resentment9

Countervailing Considerations10

Conclusion11

References12

US Leadership

Thesis Statement

“In both collective and distributive power the USA today stands at the centre of the states-system.”

Introduction

The United States is not an empire. Over the last century, however, it has built and sustained informal empires over states on the Caribbean littoral, spheres of exclusive political and economic influence over countries in South America, and after 1945 protectorates over key “allies” in Western Europe and Northeast Asia. In pursuit of a New World Order, the United States has in recent decades attempted to expand its authority over other states into Eastern Europe, with a measure of success, and the Middle East, which has been far more problematic. The concept of power has traditionally played a central and crucial role in the analysis of International Relations and World Politics. It has been seen as the key factor, variable, driving force or 'currency' in relations among states. Indeed, this role has been seen by many observers since Thucydides as the defining attribute of the international system itself (Kahler, 2009, 1).

This interpretation of the role of power is said to derive from the understanding that no seriously effective level of organized, authoritative or legitimate governmental or socio-political structure exists above the level of the state that does not itself emanate from and, in the last analysis, remain responsible to autonomous, sovereign states i.e., that there is no genuinely supranational power structure or political process in world politics. In destructive economic systems, there is a feedback loop wherein it becomes self-confirming that greed and aggression lead to gains rather than acts that involve "playing by the rules", sharing profits, cooperating and helping others to prosper. As activities on Wall Street and in transnational corporations confirm, successful players are expected to produce income by any means possible, pay workers as little as required, charge as much as can be obtained for products and always tap into new markets for an enlarged customer base. It, also, requires a perception to be created that some newly devised product is desirable and must replace the older versions for which there is often built-in obsolescence. In any case, new markets must always be found in order to raise financial yields. Any corporate manager who did not strive to develop them would quickly find himself in an unemployment office in addition to his being blacklisted by former colleagues (Eilstrup, 2009, 194).

Discussion

Power, Authority and International Politics

There are two primary forms of power in international politics. Through coercion, one state gets a second state to do something it would otherwise not do by threatening some costly action and, in the event of non-compliance, actually imposing the threatened costs on the recalcitrant state. A mugger who demands “your money or your life” is exerting coercion, as is Israel in opening and closing its border crossings in Gaza to influence the behavior of the Hamas government (Porter, 2009, ...