Inspired by Jonathan Chance’s post in the “beginning of the modern era” thread, where he refers to “The rise of American dominance leading to the 21st century”. My question is, is there really such a thing as “American dominance” ?
Granted, the US has the largest GDP among nations, the best equipped military, very high visibility through media and entertainment production etc. But does all this really add up to any meaningful influence on the world stage ?
Coming out of WWII, I would say that it was the generally accepted view that the US and the USSR emerged as the two primary world powers and influencers of political order / disorder. The USSR also represented and proselytised an ideology, for the US this is somewhat less clear. As a non-American I would also add that we felt that the US was the main power holding back Soviet hegemony, and the USSR was the main power holding back American hegemony, leading to relative stability or unresolved proxy wars / struggles depending where and when.
The 90s rolled around, the Soviet Union ceased being an actor on the world stage, and the post-war balance of power vanished, and so you might imagine that the US then becomes the singular world power and leader, but I would argue that it hasn’t happened. Without the rivalry of the USSR, the US didn’t seem to have any unifying purpose, and never really picked up the mantle of leadership.
In what way is the US dominant, rather than simply “large” ?
The United States has a very large influence in world affairs. Other countries follow our lead on issues like determining their financial and trade policies. They often base their domestic policies and legal systems on an American model. We’re a dominant figure in setting international law and treaty agreements. A substantial number of international leaders were educating in American universities. Our pop culture is huge all over the world. We produce arms for many of the world’s armed forces.
Not remotely. While other soi-disant western countries do participate in world culture right now it’s still really the United State’s show. Yes, the UK and France produce art and entertainment but the expense is much lower. Movies, for example. The majority of movies produced - at least large influential ones are US produced - though they may be shot elsewhere they’re still American produced. Would you consider ‘A Knight’s Tale’ international? It’s a US production, meant for a US audience, but shot in the Czech Republic.
Weapons sales: The US sold arms to the most countries (98) between 2013-2017. 34% of all arms sold were US and that percentage is growing. Russia was second at 22% and their percentage is shrinking. France is #3 and shrinking while the UK is #6 and shrinking.
Foreign Aid: China is #1 here with their New Silk Road policy and the US - through USAID where I used to work ages ago - is #2. Note that doesn’t include any military assistance so God knows where it ends up.
There are other stats, but simply by virtue of being the largest economy - The GDP of the US per 2019 estimates is about 24% of the world’s GDP and 50% higher than #2 China - the US will have outsized influence. We buy stuff, we’re exposed to other countries and they to us. No one says that will last forever, of course. And it won’t. But to say otherwise - or to suggest that another country is somehow a peer is foolish. Hell, the US GDP is 15% higher than the entire Eurozone ($21T to $18T).
It doesn’t all come down to dollars, of course. But dollars grease the wheels.
My impression (perhaps wrong) is the US didn’t support decolonalization but it happened anyway in the post WW2 era. That probably speaks more to the influence of the USSR.
I was addressing Little Nemo’s statement, which was not ‘we sell the most arms in the world’ but rather ‘we sell arms to many countries’. And, for another example ‘they often base their domestic policies and legal systems on an American model’ - I’d say the UK and France have had the greatest impact on the shape of legal systems, including yours. UK and France are dominant figures in international law. And on and on. I didn’t say the US wasn’t pre-eminent - in many fields it is - but the way Little Nemo phrased it, made it sound like the US was the only player in these fields.
I feel the United States has a substantially larger influence in world affairs than the United Kingdom or France. The United States is not the only player in the fields I mentioned but it is the largest player.