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Beyond US Hegemony: Assessing the Prospects for a Multipolar World
In this major new work - the result of a lifetime of intellectual engagement - one of the developing world's most famous thinkers reflects on the times we live in. He argues that US hegemony has reached a dangerous new level under George Bush Jr, and that the US President's hubristic militarism will both lead to a never-ending cycle of wars and block all hopes of social and democratic progress, not just in developing countries, but in the North as well.
Samir Amin also rejects the highly ideological notion that the current form of neoliberal capitalism - 'really existing capitalism' in which imperialism is an integral and permanent part - is an inevitable future for humanity, or in fact socially or politically tolerable. At the same time, he is not opposed to globalization as such; indeed he believes the whole world today is irrevocably connected, and that solidarity in diversity is the key to the struggle for a better world.
In the body of the book, Amin provides a perspicacious analysis of tendencies within the rich countries - the US, Europe and Japan; the rising powers - China and India; the likely future trajectory of post-Soviet Russia; and the developing world. The central question he pursues is whether there are other hegemonic blocs that may emerge in time to circumscribe American power, and constrain free market capitalism and force it to adjust to demands other than its narrow central economic logic.
This important and thought-provoking book identifies the key global campaigns Samir feels progressives should launch around the world. 'Another world is possible.' But, he warns, the diverse citizens' movements loosely gathered together in the World Social Forum must bite the political bullet and recognise that they can only transform the world if they seek political power.
Samir Amin also rejects the highly ideological notion that the current form of neoliberal capitalism - 'really existing capitalism' in which imperialism is an integral and permanent part - is an inevitable future for humanity, or in fact socially or politically tolerable. At the same time, he is not opposed to globalization as such; indeed he believes the whole world today is irrevocably connected, and that solidarity in diversity is the key to the struggle for a better world.
In the body of the book, Amin provides a perspicacious analysis of tendencies within the rich countries - the US, Europe and Japan; the rising powers - China and India; the likely future trajectory of post-Soviet Russia; and the developing world. The central question he pursues is whether there are other hegemonic blocs that may emerge in time to circumscribe American power, and constrain free market capitalism and force it to adjust to demands other than its narrow central economic logic.
This important and thought-provoking book identifies the key global campaigns Samir feels progressives should launch around the world. 'Another world is possible.' But, he warns, the diverse citizens' movements loosely gathered together in the World Social Forum must bite the political bullet and recognise that they can only transform the world if they seek political power.
208 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 2006
About the author
Samir Amin
293 books341 followersSamir Amin (Arabic: سمير أمين) (3 September 1931 – 12 August 2018) was an Egyptian-French Marxian economist, political scientist and world-systems analyst. He is noted for his introduction of the term Eurocentrism in 1988 and considered a pioneer of Dependency Theory.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
April 5, 2020
Published back in 2006, Beyond US hegemony? remains a highly relevant and important work, outlining the prospects for a more equal, peaceful and democratic framework of international relations. Amin makes a convincing case that there's a basic contradiction in geopolitics: that between a US-led unipolarity (propped up by Europe and Japan, and serving the short-term interests of western multinational capital) and a China-led multipolarity where the US, China, Europe, Central Asia, the Middle East, Africa all form strong regional blocs in a global system overseen by the UN. Increasing economic and cultural integration (an 'alter-globalisation', to use Amin's expression) serve to increase the prospects for global peace.
The general historical trajectory is towards multipolarity, but the path could be longer or shorter depending on a number of factors. Ruling circles in the US, particularly those associated with the military-industrial complex (as opposed to global value chains) are strongly resisting this trajectory, hence the Project for a New American Century and the emergence of political forces like those around Donald Trump. Samir Amin puts forward various practical proposals for progressive movements and countries to further a multipolar agenda.
Some disagreements here and there, but overall an excellent book.
The general historical trajectory is towards multipolarity, but the path could be longer or shorter depending on a number of factors. Ruling circles in the US, particularly those associated with the military-industrial complex (as opposed to global value chains) are strongly resisting this trajectory, hence the Project for a New American Century and the emergence of political forces like those around Donald Trump. Samir Amin puts forward various practical proposals for progressive movements and countries to further a multipolar agenda.
Some disagreements here and there, but overall an excellent book.
April 22, 2025
Samir Amin presents an anti-imperialist approach for a potential multipolar world that diverges from traditional left perspectives associated with the likes of Hardt-Negri. Amin acknowledges the past successes of global alliances formed by the old left but emphasizes that repeating or reviving those exact strategies is not viable in today's context. Instead, he calls for fresh, innovative, and context-specific "alternative hegemonic blocs" that can dismantle US hegemony.
The book is structured so that a potential counterbalance is discussed in each chapter. China, Russia, India, Global South (Africa, Latin America) and a restructuring of the UN. This does seem viable as the major countries mentioned have either signed or are in the process of signing the BRICS alliance, which poses a significant political and economic competition for the US.
Amin argues that alternative hegemonic blocs are possible, beyond the current dominance of the US, and that these new blocs might not necessarily reject capitalism entirely but could force it to adapt to demands that don't align with its typical logic.
He distinguishes his ideas from those of Hardt and Negri, criticizing their proposals as only applicable to specific segments of society and still subject to capitalist logic. However, this was unconvincing because Michael Hardt's article "From Imperialism to Empire" (2006) suggests similarities with Amin's ideas. Hardt describes the current global power structure as "Empire" with the U.S. government (or sometimes other powers like the IMF) as the "monarch." He sees other nation-states, corporations, supranational institutions, and NGOs as "aristocratic powers" collaborating with the monarch.
Furthermore, Amin's idealistic argument regarding Europe as a potential advocate for multipolarity is feeble, too. Overall, I found his emphasis on anti-imperialism to be doubtful because anti-imperialism is an empty project. Multipolarity should be based on assertion rather than defiance. This is an interesting book, though. I'm glad I read it.
The book is structured so that a potential counterbalance is discussed in each chapter. China, Russia, India, Global South (Africa, Latin America) and a restructuring of the UN. This does seem viable as the major countries mentioned have either signed or are in the process of signing the BRICS alliance, which poses a significant political and economic competition for the US.
Amin argues that alternative hegemonic blocs are possible, beyond the current dominance of the US, and that these new blocs might not necessarily reject capitalism entirely but could force it to adapt to demands that don't align with its typical logic.
He distinguishes his ideas from those of Hardt and Negri, criticizing their proposals as only applicable to specific segments of society and still subject to capitalist logic. However, this was unconvincing because Michael Hardt's article "From Imperialism to Empire" (2006) suggests similarities with Amin's ideas. Hardt describes the current global power structure as "Empire" with the U.S. government (or sometimes other powers like the IMF) as the "monarch." He sees other nation-states, corporations, supranational institutions, and NGOs as "aristocratic powers" collaborating with the monarch.
Furthermore, Amin's idealistic argument regarding Europe as a potential advocate for multipolarity is feeble, too. Overall, I found his emphasis on anti-imperialism to be doubtful because anti-imperialism is an empty project. Multipolarity should be based on assertion rather than defiance. This is an interesting book, though. I'm glad I read it.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews