POL114 Essay
By Bassil Khilo
Undergrad at UTM
Introduction
The United States of America is a hegemonic power which has great influence in international politics due to its contributions to history. President Barrack Obama said in his speech at the United States Military Academy at West Point, “…America must always lead on the world stage. If we don’t, no one else will.” When it comes down to which country holds greater influence in the international system, America is known in being a hegemon which has influence in many international institutions. The United States of America took the lead in founding the United Nations and contributes the most money towards the UN’s spending, thus shapes the UN in favour of its interests. This concept of hegemony was analyzed by Gramsci, whom used Machiavelli’s view of power as a centaur, “half man and half beast”, to argue power is a mixture of coercion and consent which are tools for hegemonic states which is what realists agree with1. In this sense, the United States has been using such “tools” to seek national interest. Thus, by examining Obama’s speech through Realist, Liberal and Marxist/critical perspectives, this essay will argue that the perspective of realism best defines America’s position in the global order through its consecutive use of hard power.
The Realist approach
Terrorism is an inevitable threat to the maintenance of a state’s security and order in the global system. Obama emphasizes the issue of terrorism in his speech and gives an insight on how American leadership handles terrorism. To begin with, Obama begins his speech by talking about the attacks on 9/11 and acknowledges that counterterrorism using military intervention had decimated Al Qaeda’s leadership between the border of Pakistan and Afghanistan. Obama commends the elimination of Osama bin Laden and applauds the American military. Realists argue that military power is an important factor in determining a state’s power and security, and through the lens of
Undergrad at UTM
Introduction
The United States of America is a hegemonic power which has great influence in international politics due to its contributions to history. President Barrack Obama said in his speech at the United States Military Academy at West Point, “…America must always lead on the world stage. If we don’t, no one else will.” When it comes down to which country holds greater influence in the international system, America is known in being a hegemon which has influence in many international institutions. The United States of America took the lead in founding the United Nations and contributes the most money towards the UN’s spending, thus shapes the UN in favour of its interests. This concept of hegemony was analyzed by Gramsci, whom used Machiavelli’s view of power as a centaur, “half man and half beast”, to argue power is a mixture of coercion and consent which are tools for hegemonic states which is what realists agree with1. In this sense, the United States has been using such “tools” to seek national interest. Thus, by examining Obama’s speech through Realist, Liberal and Marxist/critical perspectives, this essay will argue that the perspective of realism best defines America’s position in the global order through its consecutive use of hard power.
The Realist approach
Terrorism is an inevitable threat to the maintenance of a state’s security and order in the global system. Obama emphasizes the issue of terrorism in his speech and gives an insight on how American leadership handles terrorism. To begin with, Obama begins his speech by talking about the attacks on 9/11 and acknowledges that counterterrorism using military intervention had decimated Al Qaeda’s leadership between the border of Pakistan and Afghanistan. Obama commends the elimination of Osama bin Laden and applauds the American military. Realists argue that military power is an important factor in determining a state’s power and security, and through the lens of