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CriticallyevaluateHegemonicStabilityTheory1.IntroductionTounderstandHegemonicStabilityTheory,wemustknowtheIGreekwordhegemon,whichmeansleader.AHegemonicpowerisanationwhosepowerisstrongenoughtoexertitsinfluenceontheeventsthroughouttheworld.inthehumanhistoryininternationalarena,BritishEmpireinthe19thcenturyandtheUnitedStatesafterworldwarareconsideredashegemonicpower.HegemonicStabilityTheoryisformulatedbyanumberofgreatpoliticalandeconomicfiguressuchasCharlesKindleberger,RobertKeohane,AbramoFimoKennethOrganskiandGeorgeModelskiandinvolveavarietyofdisciplines:economics,history,politics.Thebasicclaimisthattheinternationalsystemcanmaintainitsmoststabilitywhenthereisapowerfulhegemonicstatebeingabletoplaymajorroleintheinternationalstage.Thecoreofhegemonicstablitytheoryis“liberalism”,thatis,internationaleconomyisbasedontheruleofliberalmarkets,suchasopeningupandnondiscrimination.Thetheorydoesn’tholdthatinternationaleconomycan’tdowithouthegemonicnation,instead,ithighlightsthathegemonicnationcanmaintaintheprosperityandstability.2.theViewofPreviousResearchersKindlebergerholdstheviewthatahegemonicpowerisnecessaryinthatitsupportstheliberaleconomy,whichisvitaltocapitalism.Hearguesthatahegemonicpowerattheclimaxofstrengthandeconomicleadershipareliberalbyinclinedtrendandthattheeconomyoftheworldismorestableandmoreprosperousasaresultofthehegemonicpower(Kindleberger,1973).However,Strangeconsidertheviewasamyth,anillusionandamisrepresentionofreality.SheconvincinglyandinsightfullyarguethattheUSAonlyconsidersliberalismasadoctrinewhenitistoitsownconvenienceandwhenitsuitsitsowninterest(Strange,1987).Ittendstobeoverlookedandforgottenwhenitisagainstitsadvantage.Waltz,bytracingthehistory,pointsouttheformationofthepatternoftheworlddominatedbytwohegemonicpowers:AmericaandformerSovietUnion.TheWorldWarTwo,asthewartoendwarsforcesthetwosuperpowerstobelockedincoldwar,inwhichbothsidesdarenottotakeunilateralactionandthusmaintainadynamicbalancebetweenthesetwosuperpowersandhodeachotherincheck.TheviewdemonstratethevalidityofHSTfromhistoricalpointofview(Waltz,1998).Milnerillustratehispointofviewfromeconomicperspective.Heassumesthatitisnecessarytomaintainthedominanceofonecountrysothatthiscountrycancoordinateanddisciplinetheothercountriesandconsequentlyanopenstableworldeconomycanexistandendure.However,heturnhisviewtoanotherdirectionbysayingthatthedeclineofUSpowerraisetheworryaboutthefutureofthestabilityanddirectionoftheworldeconomy(Milner,1998).Asaresult,thepossessionofsuperpowerdoesn’tnecessarilybringaboutbeneficialoutcome.Grunberg’scriticismtoHegemonicStabilityTheoryisnoambiguous.Heholdsthatthetheoryisintuitiveratherthanscientificandtheproponentsofthetheorybetrayedtheiremotionalsway.HequiteagreewithStrange’sviewthatthetheoryisamythandafallacy.ItisachauvinisticappealwhichobviouslybiaslyfavorAmericaandisthussubjectedtocloserscrutiny.Gilpinanalyzestheformationofthetheoryhistorically.Initially,theworldisstablewithhierarchicalorderexitingamongnations.Asgoeson,powergrowsdispropotionaltely.Conflictsoccurwhichleadstohegonicwar.Thusheconcludesthathegemonicwarislikedisease,displayingdiscerniblesymptomsandfollowsinevitablecause.Waristheresolutionoftheconflictinwhichpowerisredistributedandnewinternationalsystemisestablished.Therewillbeminorchangesuchaslesserstateupanddown,butitwillnotdisturbthesystemtothecore.Hencetheleadingpositionofhegemonicpoweriscrucialtomaintainpeace.However,withtheadventofnuclearweapon,thevalidityofthetheoryisuncertain.Waltzseemstoclarifytheuncertainfutureofnuclearage.Heholdsthatnuclearweaponenablehegemonytoconcentrateoneconomyinsteadofmilitaryforce.Andconsequentlydiminishthemilitarycompetitionamongsuperpowersandreinforcetheeconomicandtechnologicalcompetition.Andhepredictsthatbecauseofthat,Japanwillagainriseasasuperpowerintheworld.3.AnalysistheTwoSidesofViewonHegemonicStablityTheoryThetheorycombinesthestabilityoftheworldeconomywiththeexistenceofahegonicnation,assumingthatthesuperpowerbuilduptheinternationaleconomicorderandmaintaineditsstability.However,itnotonlytheologicallyflawed,butalsocan’tholdwaterinpractice.Tobeginwith,thedistributionofinterestisquiteunbalanced.Thehegemonicnationiswillingtoprovidepublicserviceandproductsisthattheycanbenefitalotfromitanditsbenefitswillfarsurpassedthebenefitsofitscoordinatingcountries.Forinstance,whileexportingpublicorcharitableproducts,theUnitedStatesalsoexportsitsideologyandcultureandthuscausedeep-rooteddependenceoftheothercountries.Thewide-spreadingHoliwoodmoviesisaconvincingexampletoillustratethepoint.Therefore,itisunrealistictohopethatthehegemoniccountry,whichisatthepeakofitspowerwillobeythevalueofliberalismandbuildupinternationaleconomicsystembasedonequalityandfairness.Thecurrentworldaftercoldwarisfacingabroaderandprofounderquestion.Alltheresearcherswithdifferentpositionsarefightingforthelivingspace.Consequently,weshouldadoptacriticalcool-headedattitudetowardsthetheoryandshouldnotbeswayedbyanyofitsopponentorproponentseasily.Predictably,theHegonmicTheorywillexistandexertitsimpactontheworldanddiscussio