Multipolarity in the 21st Century : A New World Order

This book seeks to help shape the debate surrounding power and polarity in the twenty-first century both by assessing the likelihood of US decline and by analysing what each of the so-called 'rising powers' can do (in terms of 'hard' and 'soft' power), what they want to do (i.e. foreign and security policy), and the weaknesses and obstacles that may hinder their continued development. In doing so, it will examine the implications of a multipolar world for international security. American supremacy has generated intense debate surrounding both the nature and quality of this power, as well as the execution and thrust of US foreign policy. At the same time, significant developments in four rising powers - China, Russia, India and the European Union - have provoked analysts to ask whether multipolarity is a realistic prospect. Such a development may result from a rebalancing occasioned by US decline or because the US, still hugely powerful, is joined by two or more of these states (or - in the case of the EU - a collection of states). To be considered a 'pole', the potential competitors to the US will have to either amass sufficient power in all of Waltz's categories of power (including population size, territory, resources, economic wealth, military strength and 'competence') or manage to reshape the power paradigm to reflect a new kind of superpower. Written by a combination of emerging scholars and recognised experts, this volume will provide a timely and authoritative analysis of one of the most controversial and compelling security debates of the twenty-first century. The book will appeal to students of International Relations, Security Studies and Foreign Policy.