“Disoriented Superpower”: U.S. Foreign Policy in the Post-Bipolar World
https://doi.org/10.46272/2587-8476-2021-12-3-19-37
Abstract
This article seeks to fi ll the gap between well theorized upon constants of the U.S. strategic thinking and the divergent approaches of various administrations to practical actions on the international arena. Grounded in the concept developed by Christopher Hammer, the analysis presents the U.S. foreign policy as the product of a never-ending internal debate about the most optimal ways of promoting values, dealing with international institutions and prioritizing threats within a security perimeter. Taking stock of the choices made by consecutive presidents in each of the three areas the authors study the roots of foreign policy inertia of the sole superpower that resulted in unforced mistakes undermining its own political cohesion as well as hindering the emergence of lasting international architecture to replace the cold-war order. Thus, the article argues that the key feature of the last thirty years – the absence of an enemy as an organizing principle for the U.S. foreign policy – prompted the American public to pay less attention to global events which became the area of opportunistic decisions. Overall, the authors conclude that the mistakes were made precisely when the domestic debates in the U.S. about international relations were absent and note that the current divisions in the American society as an impetus for self-scrutiny and the emergence of China as a focal point for the American elites may result in a more coherent foreign policy and make the U.S. a more responsible international actor.
About the Authors
O. I. Rebro
MGIMO-University
Russian Federation
Competing Interests:
Russian Federation
Olga I. Rebro, Expert at the Center for Advanced American Studies of the Institute of International Studies
119454, Moscow, Vernadsky Prospekt, 76
Competing Interests:
No potential confl ict of interest was reported by the authors
M. A. Suchkov
MGIMO-University
Russian Federation
Competing Interests:
Russian Federation
Maxim A. Suchkov, PhD, Associate Professor at the Department of Applied International Analysis, Director of the Center for Advanced American Studies of the Institute of International Studies
119454, Moscow, Vernadsky Prospekt, 76
Competing Interests:
No potential confl ict of interest was reported by the authors
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Review
For citations:
Rebro O.I., Suchkov M.A. “Disoriented Superpower”: U.S. Foreign Policy in the Post-Bipolar World. Journal of International Analytics. 2021;12(3):19-37. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.46272/2587-8476-2021-12-3-19-37
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