Will the United States remain as a superpower?

After the post-Cold War, the United States have been considered as hegemon, which single-handedly dominates the rules and international politics. Although Russia or China challenges hyperpower position in recent days, the United States will remain a hyper-power under the several stability that the United States established. First, the global moral stability of U.S values, such as democracy, supports the legitimacy of action of the United States. Additionally, the stability of global connections from the global predominance of English gives a tremendous supports to the U.S hegemony in soft-power. Finally, the stability of leadership in economy and military ,which are the United States and its allies want to keep, interrupts rising powers making the own order. Based on the favorable and stable structure, the United States will lead the values of the world. 

Moral stability U.S set grants the U.S values a legitimate position among the conflicts against other values. For example, according to CCP(Chinese Communist Party's) newspaper, CCP claims that Democratic Centralism works more effectively in developing countries, which do not have enough base for democracy that requires the middle or educated class [1]. Although Chinese scholars and government are recommending democratic centralism as alternatives to democracy, but their claims are widely rejected from other countries. 

Moreover, as the Goldenstein’s textbook mentioned, there are controversies to define sovereignty. China claimed sovereignty is based on non-intervention policy, and it is legitimate when state oneself exercise, not the third party. Also, On the pretext of their view of Sovereignty, like middle east countries, China ignores criticism from other countries over the human right issue in Tibet or East Turkestan. In addition, Unlike Russia or China, the United States still remain as a police. For example, In Spring of Arab, United States and NATO supported pro-democracy activists against dictators. [3] Like above examples, as a hyperpower, United States offers global standards including democracy, human right, and others. 

   

As one of global standards, the United states have made English as a stable global language for the stability of the worldwide connection. Chinese, one of the hardest isolated languages to speakers of Indo-European languages, is not widely spoken even though it has largest speakers. As a contrast, English is the easier language to speakers the Indo-European languages. 46% of world population speaks Indo-European languages as a first language [2], and 90% of nations choose English as a second language in their educational curriculum. Therefore,  Unlike non-English speakers who should learn English to communicate with others, American people get advantages academic fields, human development, and Sharing Information including technologies. Development of means of communication contributed globalization. 

Also based on the soft-power via globalization, the United States form a stability in world economy and military in IR through setting rules and arrangement. Moreover, the United States and its allies are connected each other to protect the current structure, which is beneficial to U.S and its allies, from an unreasonable threat from challenging powers. While China or Russia are refusing to follow current rules and trying to make their own order, U.S and its allies have already consented current rules and keep those without big conflicts among each other, Therefore, some developing countries declared Yuan as international currency, and Yuan tries to replace Dollar as world currency via AIIB and SCO, still great powers which have large economy is not cooperative to China’s monetary policy. Before 2015, the amount of total trading of Yuan is smaller than Canadian Dollars.[4] 

The stability that the United States established through the free trade system, under the economic treaties including WTO and international economic entities including World Bank and IMF, makes China or another competitor hard to replace U.S hegemony. Moreover, allies through NATO and cooperation with Asian Countries, such as South Korea, Japan, Vietnam, and the Philippines, are helping U.S. Strategy against the emergence of China and Russia. Global system that the United States establish helps U.S. to keep hyper-power in IR 

     

As a hegemony, The United States is significant and lucky because the United States succeeded various parts from previous hyperpower, Great Britain, which speaks English and shares similar values from the United States and European countries. Based on these homogeneities, the United States smoothly succeed Britain's hegemony after the world war II.  Therefore, China and Russia will be difficult to replace the United States which is the Anglo-American hegemon. To Sum up, according to hegemonic stability theory, United States have offered enough stability in international relations and have gotten tremendous incentives from the structure based on the global predominance of moral, soft-power and rules .Therefore, I assume the United States is going to keep their position as the hyperpower, and rising powers will not easily replace its position.

Citation

[1]Wang, Chuanzhi. "Democratic Centralism: The Core Mechanism in China’s Political System." Qiushi Journal. English Edition of Qiushi Journal, 17 Nov. 2013. Web.

[2] Irene Thompson,. "Indo-European Language Family ." About World Languages. N.p., 3 Mar. 2016. Web

[3] Douglas-Bowers, Devon. "Arab Spring: Revolutions, Lies, and Intervention." Global Research Center for Research on Globalization. N.p., 31 Aug. 2011. Web.

[4] Wilson, William T. "Washington, China, and the Rise of the Renminbi: Are the Dollar's Days as the Global Reserve Currency Numbered?" The Heritage Foundation. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Sept. 2016.