The turn of the century has seen the US greatly enhance its military supremacy across the world. It has also played a key role in shaping the international economic order. More recently, however, its world-wide economic domination has started to diminish as other regions and countries have become globally important players.
Simon Bromley brings a fresh perspective to these issues, arguing that it is as yet unclear whether the US will be capable of rising to the challenges posed by the new world order. He carefully examines the intricacies of these debates including the American ideology of a liberal international order and the relation of this to the Bush doctrine; US power in the transatlantic arena and US-European integration in relation to the EU and NATO; and the geo-politics of oil. He looks at a range of challenges to US dominance, including the weakening of the dollar; the rapid growth and industrialization of Asia; and the strengths and weaknesses of Bush’s foreign policy.
This book is set to spark debate amongst students and scholars of international politics, as well as appealing to anyone interested in the changing shape of the international order.
Table of Content
List of Tables and Figures vii
Preface viii
Introduction: The American Project for a Liberal International Order 1
1 The American Ideology: Modernization Theory and the Neo-Conservatives 8
Introduction 8
What Was Modernization Theory? 10
Containment and ‘Development’ 14
Modernization Theory and World Order 20
Modernity Is Not the ‘End of History’ 31
Modernization Theory, the Neo-Conservatives and the Bush Doctrine 37
Conclusions 50
2 America’s Transatlantic Empire: Where in the World Is America? 52
Introduction 52
The American Empire 54
Imperialism 61
Anarchy, Rivalry and Interdependence 66
US Power and the Liberal Capitalist International Order 82
Conclusions 97
3 American Oil, World Oil: Resources, Confl icts, Control and Scarcity 101
Introduction 101
Reasons for War? 103
America’s Oil, World Oil 106
OPEC and World Oil 115
The United States and Middle East Oil 118
Reshaping the Greater Middle East 122
The Role of Oil in the New Middle East Strategy 135
Carry on Driving? 143
Conclusions 148
4 American Power, the Future of the Dollar and the Challenge of China 149
Introduction 149
International Money 151
From Fixed to Floating Exchange Rates 160
Resurgent Asia 173
Containing China? 185
Conclusions 199
Conclusion: The Prospects for a Liberal International Order 202
Notes 211
Bibliography 226
Name Index 237
Subject Index 240
About the author
Simon Bromley is Senior Lecturer in Politics and International Studies at the Open University.
More ebooks from the same author(s) / Editor
13,589 Ebooks in this category
