Suchergebnisse

Clearly designed as a textbook for advanced students of international political economy, Gilpin's book is by far the best yet to come out of the American school. Students in Europe too will welcome his clear, fair-minded and comprehensive exposition of recent developments and debates in theories of the world economy-though Holsti's complaint in A Divided Discipline (1986), that American writers are oblivious to authors that are not American, with a few exceptions, still holds good. There is, however, a logical inconsistency at the heart of the book between his historical analysis and the conclusion that the United States has lost its hegemony and must share leadership with Japan. Alas, poor Europe!

There is not much significant theorizing outside America and, within America, most recent theorizing has tended to become more abstract or else has falsely assumed that the United States is no longer a hegemonic power. But rather than criticize what has been done, I shall outline a different approach, identifying four major global structures—security, production, finance, and knowledge—within which states, corporate enterprises, and others operate. I conclude that America is dominant in all four structures. International studies therefore ought to develop a theory of empire which can be applied by U.S. policymakers, if these studies are to have any basis in reality and any practical use.