US quest for global hegemony : offensive realism, Bush doctrine and the war of Iraq 2003

Abstract

“The domination of the United States (U.S.) has been unprecedented in the history of world politics. U.S. emerged as the sole superpower after the demise of the Soviet Union, having no ideological or geo-political contenders in sight. The most powerful country in the world has been holding ascendency over affairs of the world for more than two decades now. It has operated on a global stage without any power counter-balancing its mammoth strength. This is the American unipolar age. U.S. entered world politics after the end of the Second World War in a bid to forge and lead Cold War alliances. This ushered in liberalization of the world economy, and the creation of many multilateral institutions. American-led order has transcended Asia and Europe, and has proven instrumental in establishing integrated markets and political system. International orders have risen and fallen. After the 1940s, America had an extra-ordinary opportunity to build a global system. The strategy America espoused to counter the Communist threat involved proxy wars and mutually assured destruction.