question_answer

Examine the U.S. hegemony as a structural power.

Or

Assess the role of ASEAN as an economic association.

Answer:

The sudden collapse of Soviet Union left US hegemony began in 1991. US does not start behaving like a hegemonic power overnight, intact there was a gradual increase in power and after 1991 it became clear that the world was living in the period of hegemony. US has hegemony in all aspects.

(i) This power can be in the form of military dominance, economic strength, political influence/power and cultural superiority.

(ii) If we want to understand world politics and hegemony within, it is necessary that we understand the distribution of power among the countries of the world.

(iii) It may be more appropriate to describe an international system with only one centre of power by the term hegemony.

(iv) US has full dominance on hard power. The base of US power lies in the superiority of the military power. American military dominance today is both absolute and relative.

(v) US hegemony is a structural power therefore, this hegemony means economic superiority is reflected by the roles played by the US in providing global public goods.

Or

ASEAN is principally an economic association:

(i) Where ASEAN as a whole is much smaller than US, EU, Japan but yet its economy is growing faster than US, European Union and Japan. ASEAN is also showing growth in these regions and beyond.

(ii) Objective of ASEAN economic community.

(a) The objective is to create a common market and production base within ASEAN states and to aid social and economic development in the region.

(b) This community would also like to improve the existing ASAEN dispute settlement mechanism to resolve economic disputes.

(c) ASEAN has focused on creating a Free Trade Area (FTA) for investment, labour and services. The US and China have already moved fast to negotiate FTA?s with ASEAN.