The Decline in US Global Leadership Will Redult in the Decline of Globalization

Some scholars have remarked that the rise of globalism and international non-state actors has ushered in an age where the traditional tools of international relations are no longer necessary. They argue that rather than states competing with each other, whether it be military force, economic sanctions, partnering with other nations to deter aggressors, the new Post-Cold War world will be dominated by positive-sum relations of trade and cooperation. This however was only able to flourished because of the unrivaled supremacy of the United States. Without the United States as a global hegemony to secure the global community, states would be unable to assure themselves of their security and would act in ways detrimental to world stability.

Globalization can only exist where security can be guaranteed. Security is the foundation of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and the foundation of the international system. Military force, alliances, espionage, propaganda, and economic and diplomatic pressure are all instruments for the progression of a state actor’s security. With new powers developing in Southern and Eastern Asia, a depopulation and monetary crisis of European powers, and military budget cutbacks in the only global hegemony, the convergence of the world under the security of the United States global leadership faces serious challenges. As such, these tools will only become more important as the unipolar order is challenged.

The origins of global governance comes with the end of World War II where the United States was the only power able and willing to assert global leadership. After the Allies defeated Nazi Germany, the United State created an economic framework encompassing every part of the globe with the exception of the S...

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...n in North Korea means that military alliances are of extreme importance as a contingency to instability. As Kim Jung Un only had 2 years to prepare himself for the countries leadership, pundits are publicly wondering whether he has the experience necessary to run a totalitarian regime. The South China Sea is becoming increasingly tense as Chine extends its territorial waters placing Vietnam and the Philippines to respond and potentially forcing a U.S. policy decision in the East Asia region.

All of these threats come at a time when US global leadership is declining in capability, and willingness. With no other power able to take over as a global hegemony, globalism and convergence seems doomed to be a fading era. Without a power with a monopoly or near monopoly of military capability, competition and distrust between states will foster a new era of realpolitik.