The initial concept of the conference was to trace the rise of the United States to a position of “world hegemony”, as the American quest for hegemony has followed upon the heels of Soviet collapse. 

The purpose was to provide an interdisciplinary approach to the global crisis involving insights from both international political economy and global geopolitics.

The hope was to provide some linkage between these two disciplines that rarely speak to one another. If the US continues to venture into “hegemony” overseas: What kind of geopolitical problems and political economic crises will it confront? Will it be able to surmount them? How will both American domestic and international policies affect the national and world economies? Should the US, as the predominant hegemonic power, take unilateral or multilateral actions?

   Hegemony and Decay: The American Case at the Turning of the Century

by David Calleo

Dean Acheson Professor and Director of European Studies Program, Nitze School for Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University.

The paper reflects on the case for American "declinism" at the end of the Reagan administration, the apparent rejuvenation of American power in the Bush I and Clinton administrations, and the significance of developments under Bush II. How much continuity links these administrations?

   After Cancun: The Future of Free Trade

by Albert Fishlow

Professor of International and Public Affairs, Director of the Columbia Institute of Latin American Studies, Director of the Center for the Study of Brazil, Columbia University.

Globalization -and anti-globalization- have been at the center of discussions of international economic relations for the last 15 years. But a new North-South axis has recently emerged in the wake of the failed Cancun summit that goes to the heart of the current debate over the future of the free trade system that has defined the international environment for over a half-century. Agriculture is central, an ironic twist in view of the continuing much greater growth of industrial products. At the same time, multilateralism seemingly has yielded to a new surge of bilateralism. What will be the future of free trade, and with what consequences for the process of economic development?

   From the Egyptian Crisis of 1882 to Iraq of 2003: Alliance Ramifications

    of British and American Bids For "World Hegemony"

by Hall Gardner

Professor of International Politics, Chair, Department of International Affairs, The American University of Paris.

This paper first examines the global ramifications of the August 1990 Iraqi invasion of Kuwait (as an act of regional imperialism) and the US-led multilateral rollback. It then compares and contrasts the alliance ramifications of the US decision to "go to Baghdad" in 2003 with both the British intervention/occupation of Egypt in 1882 and the British intervention/occupation of Iraq in 1920.

   Hegemony as an Anglo-American Succession 1815-2004

by Patrick Karl O'Brien

Centennial Professor of Economic History, London School of Economics.

This essay substantiates the case that major differences between the roles played by Britain (1793-1914) and the United States (1941-2003) overwhelm the superficial similarities. It argues that no other state since Rome (including Great Britain) has deployed hegemonic power or anything comparable to the combination of domination by force and leadership by consent, exercised by governments of the United States between 1941 and 2003.

   Conclusion/Remarks

by Pierre Hassner

Emeritus Research Director, CERI-Sciences Politiques.

David Calleo

Dean Acheson Professor and Director of European Studies Program, Nitze School for Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University.

Professor Calleo is recognized as one of America’s leading proponents of European unity. His areas of expertise are extensive and include Western Europe, diplomatic history, international economic issues, international political economy, military power and strategy, strategic and security issues, and NATO. A former Rockefeller, Guggenheim, and Fulbright fellow, David Calleo has served as a consultant to the U.S. Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs, and as an associate at the Centre d’Etudes et de Recherches Internationales (CERI/Sciences-Politiques).

Albert Fishlow

Professor of International and Public Affairs, Director of the Columbia Institute of Latin American Studies, Director of the Center for the Study of Brazil, Columbia University.

As a specialist in international economic history and development, Albert Fishlow is credited as the father of quantitative international economic history methodology. A pioneer in exploring the dynamics between central and peripheral countries, Professor Fishlow bridges the intellectual differences between globalists and alter-globalists. He was the founding President of the Latin American and Caribbean Economic Association (LACEA), and a Paul A. Volker Senior Fellow for International Economics at the Council of Foreign Relations.

Hall Gardner

Professor of International Politics, Chair, Department of International Affairs, The American University of Paris.

Professor Gardner is a geostrategist with a comparative historical orientation. His focus is on the origins of war, yet more specifically on deliberating the phenomenon of war’s eruption and global ramifications. His research blends a historical and theoretical approach with contemporary international affairs. He is a member of the Committee on Atlantic Studies and is also on the Board of Advisors of the Cicero Foundation. Published widely in the field of international politics, Professor Gardner is also a published poet.

Pierre Hassner

Emeritus Research Director, CERI-Sciences Politiques.

Pierre Hassner, in addition to being a philosopher and geopolitician, is one of France’s foremost thinkers on global political economy and international institutions. Known for his unique ability to develop critical issues and provoke debate, Professor Hassner’s capacity to inspire reflection and profound deliberation has brought him to the forefront in his field. His areas of expertise include international relations, violence and war, and the history of political thought.

Patrick Karl O'Brien

Centennial Professor of Economic History, London School of Economics.

Patrick O’Brien is an economic historian with a broad understanding of imperialism, specifically the international impact of the British Empire and the differences between benevolent and selfish empires. His research interest is in global economic history, in particular world trade, technology, and historiographical traditions. Among other activities, Professor O’Brien is a fellow of the British Academy, the Royal Historical Society and Royal Society of Arts, and the European Academy.

Conference Organizer: 

Professor Hall Gardner, Department of International Affairs, The American University of Paris.