Hegemony constrained

About this book

In the post-Cold War era, the United States has risen to unprecedented dominance and often pursued a primarily unilateral approach to international policy issues. This book examines how nations, ethnic and religious groups, and international organizations cope with American hegemony. It reveals ways in which foreign actors attempt and succeed in keeping official Washington from achieving its preferred outcomes. International contributors consider how and why foreigners act strategically to avoid, delay, or change American policy with respect to a broad range of issues in world affairs. Chapters analyze Kurds and Shia in Iraq; governments of China, Japan, Turkey, and Germany; the G-7; liberalizing international economy; coping with global warming; regulating harmful tax competition; controlling missile proliferation; limiting public health damage from tobacco; and international public opinion bearing on politics of responding to a hegemonic America. By selecting ways that challenge American unilateralism, this book gives a framework for understanding and anticipating goals, motives, and means others bring to dealings with American hegemony in specific situations. It offers a corrective to naively optimistic unilateralism and naively optimistic multilateralism--Publisher's description.