CHAPTER – 3 US HEGEMONY IN WORLD POLITICS

1. Explain the First Gulf War and the consequent response of the UN
Or
Explain Operation Desert storm
Ans 1. In August 1990, Iraq invaded Kuwati.
2. After a series of diplomatic attempts failed at convincing Iraq to quit its aggression, the
United nations decided to liberate (free) Kuwait by force
3. A massive coalition force of 6,6,000 troops from 34 countries fought against Iraq and
defeated it in the First Gulf War. This was Operation Desert Storm initiated by the UN.
4. An American General Norman Schwarzkoph led this UN coalition and the majority of the
forces were from US.
5. The Iraqi President Saddam Hussein had promised the mother of all battles. But the
Iraqi forces were quickly defeated and were forced to withdraw from Kuwait.
6. The First Gulf War revealed the vast technological gap between the US and the other
states.
7. This war was also known as:
a. Computer war: because of the use of the so- called smart bombs.
b. Video game war: because of the widespread television coverage.

2. Who succeeded George H.W. Bush and when? State the main difference in the approaches of
the two leaders.

Ans. William Jefferson Clinton (Bill Clinton) of Democratic party succeeded Geoge H. W. Bush in the
Presidential elections of 1992. Unlike George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton focused on domestic issues.
Clinton won once again in 1996 and thus remained the President for 8 years.
1. During the Clinton years, US had withdrawn into its internal affairs and was not fully
engaged in world politics.
2. In foreign policy, the Clinton government tended to focus on soft issues like democracy,
promotion, climate change and world trade rather than on the hard politics of military
power and security.

3. Describe the two instances where the Clinton government had to indulge into military action?

Ans. The two instances where the Clinton government had to indulge into military action were:
 a. The most important episode occurred in 1999, in response to the Yugoslavian actions
against the predominantly Albanian population in the province of Kosovo. The air forces
of the NATO countries led by the US, bombarded targets around Yugoslavia for well
over two months forcing the downfall of the Slobodan Milosevic and the stationing of a
NATO force in Kosovo.
b. Another significant US military action during the Clinton years was in response to the
bombings of the US embassies in Nairobi, Kenya and Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania in 1998.
These bombings were attributed to AL- Qaeda, a terrorist organization strongly
influenced by extremist islamist ideas. Within a few days of this bombing, President
Clinton ordered Operation Infinite Reach, a series of cruise missile strikes on Al-Qaeda
terrorist targets in Sudan and Afghanistan. The US did not bother about the UN sanction
or provisions of international law in this regard.

4. Explain the 9/11 episode as the Global war on terror. What was the response of the US?
OR
Explain Operation Enduring Freedom

Ans. a. On 11​th​ September 2001, 19 hijakers hailing from a number of Arab countries took
control of four American Commercial aircraft shortly after take off and flew them into
important buildings in the US.
b. One airliner each crashed into the North and South towers of the World Trade Centre in
New York.
c. A Third aircraft crashed into the Pentagon Building in Arlington, Virginia where the US
defense Department is headquartered.
d. The fourh aircraft presumably for the capitol building of the US Congress came down in
a field in Pennsylvania.
e. This attacked have come to be known as 9/11- the global war on terror.

Operation Enduring Freedom

a. The US response to 9/11 was swift and ferocious.
b. Clinton had been succeeded in the US presidency by George W. Bush of the Republican
Party , son of the earlier President George H. W. Bush
c. Bush had a much harder view of US
 d. As a part of its Global War on Terror, the US launched ‘Operation Enduring Freedom’
against all those suspected to be behind this attack mainly Al –Qaeda and the Taliban
regime in Afghanistan
e. The Taliban regime was easily overthrown but remnants of the Taliban and Al-Qaeda
have remained potent.
f. The US forces made arrests all over the world often without the knowledge of the
government of the persons being arrested, transported these persons across countries
and detained them in secret prisons in the Guantanamo Bay – a US naval base in Cuba,
where the prisoners did not enjoy the protection of international law or the law of their
own country.

5 Discuss Operation Iraqi Freedom

Ans. a. On 19​th​ March 2003, the US launched its invasion of Iraq under the codename
“Operation Iraqi Freedom”
b. More than forty other countries joined in the US led coalition of the willing after the UN
refused to give its mandate to the invasion.
c. The ostensible purpose of the invasion was to prevent Iraq from developing weapons of
mass destruction (WMD)
d. Since no evidence of WMD was has been unearthed in Iraq, it is speculated that the
invasion was motivated by other objectives such as controlling Iraqi oilfields.
e. Although the government of Saddam Hussein fell swiftly, the US has not been able to
pacify Iraq.
f. It is now widely recognised that the US invasion of Iraq was both a military and political
failure.

6. What are the constraints on American hegemony today? Which one of these do you expect to
get more important in the future?
Ans. The biggest constraint to American hegemony lie within the heart of hegemony itself. We can
identify three constraints on American power.
1. The first constraint is the institutional architecture of the American state itself. A system
of division of powers between the three branches of government places significant
brakes upon the unrestrained and immoderate exercise of America’s military power by
the Executive branch
 2. The second constraint is also domestic in nature and stems from the open nature of
American society. Although the American mass media may from time to time impose or
promote a particular perspective on domestic public opinion in the US, there is a deep
skepticism regarding the purposed and methods of government in American political
culture.
3. There is only one organisation in the international system that could possibly moderate
the exercise of American power today and that is the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation
(NATO). The US has enormous interest in keeping the alliance of democracies that
follow the market economies alive and therefore it is possible that its allies in the NATO
will be able to moderate the exercise of US hegemony.

7. Discuss India’s relationship with the US.

OR
Evaluate India’s changing relationship with the US.
Ans In the post cold war era, india and US share very harmonious relations based on mutual
cooperation and understanding.
During the cold war years, india’s closest friendship was with the Soviet Union. But after the
collapse of the Soviet Union, India suddenly found itself friendless in an increasing hostile
international environment.
During these years, india introduced a New Economic Policy to liberalise its economy and
integrate it with the global economy. The Liberal Economic policy and India’s impressive
economic growth rate in recent years have made the country an attractive economic partner for
a number of countries including the US. Other features of Indo – US relationship were:
a. Technological dimension and role of Indo – American Diaspora is so interrelated that it
gives interdependency in Indo –US relations.
b. The US absorbs about 65% of India’s total exports in the software sector.
c. On the other side, 35% of the technical staff of Boeing is estimated to be Indian
d. More than 3,00,000 indian work in the silicon valley.

But in the phase of global hegemony, india has yet to decide exactly what type of relationship it
should have with the US. Three possible strategies have been suggested through debates by the
Indian analysts.
 a. Some Indian analyst are fearful of the growing closeness between india and the US.
They would prefer that India maintains its aloofness from Washington and focuses upon
increasing its own comprehensive national power
b. Other analysts advocate a strategy that would allow India to take advantage of US
hegemony and the mutual convergences to establish the best possible options for itself.
Opposing the US, they argue is a futile strategy that will only hurt in the long run.
c. A third group of analyst would advocate that India should take the lead in establishing a
coalition of countries from the developing world. Overtime this coalition would become
more powerful and may succeed in weaning the hegemon away from the dominating
ways.

Thus India needs to develop an appropriate mix of foreign policy strategies to deal with the US.
8. How can hegemony be overcome?
OR
“If big and resourceful states cannot resist the US hegemony, it is unrealistic to expect the
smaller and weaker states to offer any resistance.” Comment.
Ans. International politics is politics without government. There are some rules and norms called the
laws of war that restrict but donot prohibit war. We must recognize that no single power in the
world is near balancing the US militarily. Therefore we can discuss some strategies developed by
the political analyst.
1. Bandwagon strategy: some analysts argue that it is strategically more prudent to take
advantage of the opportunities that hegemony created like raising economic growth
rates require increased trade, technology transfers and investments. Thus it is
suggested by the analysts that instead of engaging in activities opposed to the
hegemonic power, it may be advisable to extract benefits by operating within the
hegemonic system.
2. Hide strategy: this strategy implies staying as far removed from the dominant power as
possible. For example China, Russia, The Europeon Union – all of them in different ways
are seeking to stay below the radar, as it were and not overly and unduly antagonize the
US. But it is not feasible strategy. While it may be an attractive viable policy for small
states, it is hard to imagine mega – states like China, India and Russia or a huge
Europeon Union being able to hide for any substantial length of time.
3. Role of Non – State actors :
 Some people believe that challenges to American hegemony will emerge in the
economic and cultural realms and will come from a combination of non – governmental
organizations (NGOs), social movements and public opinion. It may arise from sections
of the media and intellectuals, artists and writers. These various actors may well form
links across national boundaries to criticize and resist US policies.

9. Explain the three different understandings of the US hegemony.

Ans. The word hegemony implies the leadership or predominance of one state. The roots of the
word hegemony lie in classical Greece. At that time it was used to denote the preponderant
position of Athens vis a vis the other cities of Ancient Greece. Presently hegemony means world
power in the form of military domination, economic power, political clout and cultural
superiority.
a. Hegemony as hard power:
The very first nature of American hegemony advocates relations, patterns and balances
of military capability between states. It is this notion of hegemony which signifies
military status that is especially applicable to the current position and the role of the US
in world politics.
The very essence of contemporary US power lies in the overwhelming superiority of its
military power. American military dominance today is both absolute and relative . in
absolute terms, the US today has military capabilities that can reach any point on the
planet accurately and in real time. In relative sense, no other power can match the US.
The US today spends more on its military capability than the next 12 powers combined.
The military dominance of the US is not just based on higher military spending but on a
qualitative gap
b. Hegemony as a structural power:
This notion emerges from a particular understanding of the world economy.
1. The basic idea is that an open world economy requires a hegemon or dominant
power to support its creation and existence
2. The hegmon must possess both the ability and the desire to establish certain norms
for order and must sustain the global structure
3. Hegemony in this sense is reflected in the role played by the US in providing global
public goods which signifies those goods that can be consumed by one without
reducing the quantity of good available for someone else.
 4. Fresh air , roads and Sea Lanes of Communication (SLOCs)are examples of global
public goods. It is the naval power of the hegemon that underwrites the law of the
sea and ensures freedom of navigation in international waters.
5. Another example of global public good is internet. Internet is the direct outcome of
a US military research project that began in 1950. Even today the internet relies on
a global network of satellites , most of which are owned by the US government.
6. The US share of the world economy remains an enormous 28%
7. The US also accounts for 15% of the world trade.
8. The Bretten woods system set up by the US after the Second World War constitutes
the basic structure of the world economy.
9. World Bank, IMF and WTO are the products of the US hegemony.
10. Another classic example of the structural power of the US is the academic degree
called the Masters in Business Administration (MBA)

c. Hegemony as soft power:

Hegemony implies class ascendancy in the social, political and particularly ideological
spheres. Hegemony arises when a dominant class or country can win the consent of
dominant classes. Consent goes hand in hand with and is more effective than coercion.
For example the pre dominance of the US in the world today is based not only on its
military power and economic powers but also on its cultural presence
Thus this third sense of hegemony as soft power is about the capacity to manufacture
consent.

10. How was the US able to engineer a generational divide in the soviet society.
Ans. During the Cold war, the US found it difficult to score victories against the Soviet Union in the
realm of hard power. It was in the area of structural power and soft power that the US scored
notable victories. Although the Soviet economy provided an alternate model to the capitalist
economy of the US, it was in the realm of soft power that the US was triumphant. The US was
able to engineer a generational divide in the soviet society in the cultural sphere.
Q11. When and where was the first MBA course started in the world.
Ans The first business school in the world was the Wharton School at the university of Pennsylvania.
It was established in 1881. The first MBA courses were initiated in 1900. The first MBA course
outside US was established only in 1950.
Q12,. Mention three ways in which US dominance since the Cold war is different from its position as a
superpower during the Cold War.
Ans. During the years of Cold war power was divided between the two groups of countries US and
the Soviet Union, representing the two camps or centres of power in international politics
during that period.
1. The collapse of the Soviet Union left the world with only one superpower i.e the
United States of America. Thus the bipolarity changed to unipolarity i.e there is only one
centre of power. The USA has dominated the world politics in the following ways since
the cold war which is different from its position as a superpower during the Cold war.
2. American military power is both absolute and relative
3. US plays an important role in providing global public goods such as internet which is the
direct outcome of the US military research project that began in 1950
4. America has class ascendancy in the social, political and ideological spheres. Most of the
dreams and practices are results of American life style eg. Blue jeans