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Essay / Hegemony Essay - 1817
It has long been said that “if it looks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck, then it probably is a duck.” This so-called “duck test” implies that one can identify a subject by observing its characteristics. According to this standard assessment, we can then ask: Is the United States an empire? The answer, according to the duck test, is a pretty definitive yes. However, a nation is more complex than a simple duck and, therefore, I believe it is justified to argue that giving this label to the United States can sometimes be inappropriate and distracting. It is for this reason that I lean more towards the argument that the United States is not in reality an empire, but rather a hegemony that is too often mischaracterized. In order to fully critique and analyze these opposing arguments, I will define the term "empire" and then identify, compare, and contrast the claims of each position. The terms in question are often used interchangeably, but are at the same time radically different from each other; each with its own implications and complexities. “Empire has a territorial dimension and involves control of subjects” while the term hegemony “refers to more informal means of persuasion and subjugation of other actors on the international stage. The empire is a more realistic and military system, while the hegemony is more liberal and institutional” (Grondin et al., 2006: p. 217). Often, "when the term 'empire' is used about the American role, it refers to an informal hierarchical structure." This amounts to saying that “empire simply means a hierarchical system of political relations in which one power is clearly much stronger than any other” (Keohane, 1991: p. 437). The biggest problem that results from defining empire in this way is... .... middle of document ......discussion of this difficult topic. Of course, we can use the duck test to determine whether or not the United States looks like an empire and acts like an empire - and perhaps even lead us to the conclusion that it does indeed possess these characteristics - but that doesn't does little more than scratch the surface of this complex issue. In order to truly analyze this concept, we must go “beyond casual observation and examine the historical situation as a whole” (Grondin et al., 2006: p. 219). Although this debate will never result in a definitive answer, based on an understanding of America's position and power within the international community, both in the present and in the past, I firmly believe that qualifying America's "empire" is inappropriate and hyperbolic and should only be used as a description of the situation as opposed to an indefinite statement.