Interlinking Hegemonic Powers

Perhaps the key to understanding current events is to understand that there has never been a single global hegemon, but rather, the world system has always been characterized by “interlinking hegemonic powers.” To borrow from one scholar:

“The world system as a whole is certainly never simply dominated by one great hegemonic power, but rather is characterized by interlinking hegemonic powers – which are typified in their mutual relations by both competitive and cooperative interactions, i.e. ‘independence,’ ‘interdependence,’ and ‘dependence.’ Changes in the configuration of relations between these hegemonic actors can have a truly profound impact on the course of history and social development. This impact may be equal to or even greater than the impact of class struggle between the exploiter and the exploited class (i.e. the accumulating and the producing classes). In fact, the outcome of class struggle may often depend ultimately on the outcome of these hegemonic struggles, at least as much, if not more, than the other way around.” 

In turn, conflict and cooperation “become increasingly integrated” in a world system whereby there are interlinking hegemonic powers rather than a single global hegemon. Moreover, the world system and the world economy never collapse, but rather, they go through a “restructuring of sorts” whereby a certain process “restructures the hierarchy of center-periphery relations, and center-center relations.” To borrow from the scholar yet again: “This constant process of restructuring occurs locally, regionally, and now globally.” 

This restructuring of the world system occurs first and foremost for economic reasons. As the scholar wrote: “There is an underlying process of capital accumulation on a world scale, which itself demands that certain types of restructuring occur in order for world accumulation to continue and expand.” Economic developments converge with social and political developments to push forward the hegemonic transition and thus the restructuring of the world system. Or in other words, the transfer of the locus of capital accumulation from one core state to another core state or one center to another center leads to a transformation of the world order or world system as a whole. As the scholar wrote: “As the forms of accumulation change so do the forms of hegemonic power and thus the form of world order.” 

Hegemonic power is very much dependent or reliant on how far a certain state is embedded in the international economy. To borrow from the scholar yet again: “Many important and long-lasting hegemonic or imperial powers in world history depended not only on the agricultural surplus or on direct extraction of the same, but crucially upon exchange of products via market relations conducted over long distances. That is, they were embedded in a world economy and their power position was interrelated with their economic position within it.” 

In short, states pursue wealth and thus power through commerce and trade. It is a common sense and foolproof concept. Hegemonic power means capital accumulation, and capital accumulation is generated through commerce and trade, not necessarily through coercion or force. While coercion and force is employed to maintain the social hierarchy, what builds the hierarchy in the first place is the capital accumulation that is intertwined with commerce and trade. States go after places which are “sources of surplus” in their pursuit of wealth and thus their pursuit of power. In turn, the “rise and fall” of empires amounts in large part to the “generation and dissipation of economic surplus.”