Hegemonic Power

Hegemonic power is the dominance of a particular nation-state in international relations (IR). This can mean dominance of the international system, or of a particular region, or dominance over other countries within a particular sphere of influence. The IR use of hegemony should be distinguished from the concept of hegemony found in other social sciences, particularly the Gramscian concept that is discussed later. In mainstream IR, the concept most closely resembles the original Greek work hēgemonia meaning leadership. In IR, then, hegemony most often refers to the leadership or dominance of a particular state, either within the world system or among a group of states.

When the terms hegemony and power are used together, it is most usual to think of the realist position within IR. Indeed, going back to the Greeks, realists look to the work of Thucydides on the Peloponnesian War as an early example of realpolitik or power politics. In the Melian Dialogue, Thucydides famously says, “The strong do what they have the power to do and the weak accept what they have to accept.” Behind realist accounts of power is usually the notion, best formulated by Robert Dahl, that the exercise of power is about A getting B to do something that B would not otherwise have done.

For Thucydides, the rising power of Athens was seen as a threat by Sparta. When looked at in [Page 307]terms of the Greek system of independent city-states, we can see the changing power relationship between Athens and Sparta as a threat to the balance of power in the region. The Peloponnesian War is a good example of hegemonic war between the two dominant powers within that particular system of states and has inspired the classical realist vision of power, politics, and international order. Subsequent realists have looked to Thucydides and other classical writers to provide a general theory of international politics based, as Robert Gilpin suggests, on the idea that the differential growth of power among states creates the nature of international relations. Gilpin, taking a somewhat systemic slant, also suggests that the idea that conflicts in international relations arise from the unequal distribution of power among states is the theory of hegemonic war. Ultimately, the whole matter of the leadership of the international system is at stake.