The understanding of hegemony is different between China and the West. China believes that hegemony is the repressive power of a great power over other countries. The West believes that hegemony is only an objectively powerful force. As for whether hegemony is aggressive, realism believes that due to the security dilemma of big countries, such conflicts and control of small countries by big countries are inevitable. Liberalism and constructivism believe that Hegemony can be constructive, for example, it can build international order and maintain international peace and stability.
There are also disagreements as to whether hegemony will inevitably decline. It is generally believed that a great power's concern for its security and global interests often greatly consumes its power, thus promoting its decline. But the United States is also a country that is very good at learning and very good at self-denial and adjustment, so it is still difficult to say.
The Soviet Union went against itself in 1991, and the United States also began to go against itself in 2008, both of which were caused by its inherent irreconcilable structural contradictions. The core of U.S. economic hegemony, the free capitalist financial system, is greedy and unregulated. After years of plunder, the domino toppling effect finally occurred last year, and began to shake the entire U.S. economy. This is the most fundamental reason why Obama, an African-American, can become the president of the United States: American mentality has changed, and the ruling elite has been forced to adjust.
The camp will disintegrate, but the country and the nation will not perish; the Soviet Union will disintegrate, the Russian land will still exist, and the Russian nation will still exist. Similarly, the Western camp has also been shaken. NATO and the European Union may disintegrate, but nation-states will not perish. The reorganization of the world structure will be fully launched in 2009. Who will win and who will be in charge will be determined within the year. Socialism and capitalism, which are considered to be irreconcilable, are not fighting each other, but are tending to infiltrate and learn from each other in practice. Opening up has become the mainstream of the world, and is not a patent of the capitalist camp. The wave of protectionism after the financial tsunami has shown that Seclusion will also be revived in developed capitalist countries.
According to the 2008 global economic system rankings released by the United States Central Intelligence Agency, Greater China’s GDP is US$4.86 trillion, exceeding Japan’s US$4.84 trillion. Greater China includes mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau have different political systems. The trend of economic integration is unstoppable, and it is not a bad idea as a whole. In addition, political integration is inevitable in the future. Unlike Japan, Greater China has great potential for future development.
The decline of the United States is faster than people expected. Of course, the decline of the American empire does not mean the decline of the American nation. It is just that the United States is no longer the only superpower. The rise of all heroes is a certain trend, but the new The world structure has not yet been formed. The prospects for a peaceful resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the core of the Middle East issue, are still slim. Iran is rising as a regional power; Latin America's separation from the United States has become increasingly obvious. The enlarged EU can no longer maintain a huge alliance, and the major powers Germany, Britain, and France have too much to take care of themselves; Russia must establish its own modern manufacturing industry instead of relying solely on oil and gas exports, but Russia has successfully consolidated its sphere of influence in the Caucasus and Central Asia. .