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Access Type
WSU Access
Date of Award
January 2024
Degree Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Ph.D.
Department
Political Science
First Advisor
Daniel Geller
Abstract
The Twenty-first century brought a period of remarkable change to the distribution of capabilities in the world system. The unipolar American system flourished after the collapse of the Soviet Union, yet a series of events seemed to signal a decline in American world leadership. The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, 2008 economic crisis, and global reemergence of nationalist politics made evident the delegitimation American leadership had undergone since the 1970’s. The meteoric rise of China has given dissatisfied states the opportunity to balance against the American order, with hopes of disrupting and transitioning into a new Chinese-led global order. By quantifying indicators of global leadership, under the theoretical framework of George Modelski’s long cycles (1987), a clearer picture of the current global distribution of capabilities can be understood to determine whether the United States continues to reign as a unipolar power, or if changes in the distribution of power resemble that of the early 20th Century, creating a similarly unstable system in which global war for world leadership seems likely.
Recommended Citation
Mandle, Layton James, "The Fifth Long Cycle: American Deconcentration And The Coming War For Global Leadership?" (2024). Wayne State University Dissertations. 4023.
https://digitalcommons.wayne.edu/oa_dissertations/4023
