Unipolarity in its Second Decade

Paper Summary:

Since the collapse of the Soviet Union and the subsequent end of the Cold War, competing international relations paradigms have had a problematic time adequately explaining the persistence of stable and cooperative relations between the United States and its Cold War allies. By examining the competing international relations paradigms and adapting several explanatory variables, this paper creates a model which applies the independent variables of geographic position, unipolar threshold, institutionalized nature of the international system and a necessity for a return to power/security threat. The paper argues that the dependent variable, continued stable and cooperative relations between the hegemonic power, the United States, and the great power states within the hegemonic order, Western Europe and Japan, is a result of the following independent variables: overwhelming power of the United States, a close security relationship within the hegemonic order and the lack of an imminent non-hegemonic threat.

From the Paper:

"Japan, while an active member of the United Nations, does not have permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council like the United States (U.S. - 5, Japan - 0). While it is difficult to determine that actual number of significant unilaterally led international actions by Japan, I will list what I consider the most important. Japan has acted provocatively, against the advice of other regionally based states while exploring for oil and gas in the East China Sea and while negotiating control over the ownership of the Senkaku islands. Japan regularly asserts the sovereign right to violate international whaling laws and other fishing arrangements to the outrage of the international community. While Japan's constitution limits the use of offensive military force, the state has used diplomatic power to continually place pressure on both the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, the Republic of Korea, and the United States over the perpetual threat of nuclear, chemical, or biological brinkmanship on the Korean Peninsula and the Sea of Japan."

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