As global power shifts and rivalries sharpen, the language of hegemony has returned to the centre of international discourse. It is invoked to explain American behaviour, critique Western dominance, and anticipate China’s rise. But is hegemony a useful lens on global politics, or a convenient label for power we struggle to define?
Concepts are key to systematic and gainful thinking. Expressed through words, they are ideas or abstractions that contain information about core features of phenomena found across different contexts. The concept of hegemony allows us to understand a form of power politics in which preponderant resources allow a state or a coalition of social forces to lead or dominate others, ultimately towards self-serving ends. The concept has often featured in recent international discourse, especially in the context of the Trump Administration’s policies and Israeli goals in West Asia. It is also frequently used in speculations about the nature of Chinese behaviour as America’s power declines. And occasionally also in the context of India’s policy objectives in South Asia. This is an opportune moment to understand the term in some depth.