Hegemony and democracy / Bruce Russett.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

A democratic hegemon? : the age of American hegemony -- Democracy, war, and expansion through historical lenses -- Dimensions of resource dependence : some elements of rigor in concept and policy analysis -- US hegemony: gone or merely diminished, and how does it matter? -- The real decline in nuclear hegemony -- The future as arbiter of theoretical controversies: predictions, explanations, and the end of the cold war / James Lee Ray -- Courting disaster: NATO vs. Russia and China / Allan C. Stam -- A neo-Kantian perspective: democracy, interdependence, and international organizations in building security communities -- Democratic intergovernmental organizations promote peace / Jon Pevehouse -- Security Council expansion: can't, and shouldn't -- Liberalism -- No clear and present danger: a skeptical view of the United States' entry into World War II -- Democracy, hegemony, and collective action.

Hegemony and Democracy is constructed around the question of whether hegemony is sustainable, especially when the hegemon is a democratic state. The book draws on earlier publications over Bruce Russett{u2019}s long career and features new chapters that show the continuing relevance of his scholarship. In examining hegemony during and after the Cold War, it addresses: {u2022}The importance of domestic politics in the formulation of foreign policy; {u2022}The benefits and costs of seeking security through military power at the expense of expanding networks of shared national and transnational institutions; {u2022}The incentives of other states to bandwagon with a strong but unthreatening hegemon and 'free-ride' on benefits it may provide rather than to balance against a powerful hegemon. {u2022}The degree to which hegemony and democracy undermine or support each other. By applying theories of collective action and foreign policy, Russett explores the development of American hegemony and the prospects for a democratic hegemon to retain its influence during the coming decades. This collection is an essential volume for students and scholars of International Relations, American Politics, and US Foreign Policy.