{"id":1459,"date":"2026-08-09T19:11:57","date_gmt":"2026-08-09T13:41:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/psir\/psir-pyq\/critically-examine-the-decline-of-the-united-states-of-america-as-upsc-psir-2021-3307\/"},"modified":"2026-08-12T21:24:48","modified_gmt":"2026-08-12T15:54:48","slug":"critically-examine-the-decline-of-the-united-states-of-america-as-upsc-psir-2021-3307","status":"publish","type":"psir_pyq","link":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/psir\/psir-pyq\/critically-examine-the-decline-of-the-united-states-of-america-as-upsc-psir-2021-3307\/","title":{"rendered":"Critically examine the decline of the United States of America as a hegemon and its implications for the changing international political order."},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"pq-flow\">\n<div class=\"pq-flow-h\">Flow snapshot <em>\u2014 how the answer moves<\/em><\/div>\n<div class=\"pq-fb\">\n<div class=\"pq-pill p1\"><span>Intro routes<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"pq-ft\">\n<p class=\"pq-r\"><i class=\"pq-rt\">Route 1<\/i> hegemony = material dominance + consent <span class=\"pq-ar\">\u2192<\/span> <b class=\"pq-sc\">Gramsci<\/b>: leadership by consent vs by force <span class=\"pq-ar\">\u2192<\/span> verdict staked: decline real but partial <span class=\"pq-ar\">\u2192<\/span> consent weakens faster than capability<\/p>\n<p class=\"pq-r\"><i class=\"pq-rt\">Route 2<\/i> the peak was short (1989 <span class=\"pq-ar\">\u2192<\/span> 2007-09 crash) <span class=\"pq-ar\">\u2192<\/span> <b>Gilpin\u2019s<\/b> fragile pillars <span class=\"pq-ar\">\u2192<\/span> what cracked first is legitimacy, not capability<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"pq-fb\">\n<div class=\"pq-pill p2\"><span>Body flow<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"pq-ft\">\n<p>primacy built: containment \/ critical technologies \/ military reach \/ dollar\u2019s reserve status <span class=\"pq-ar\">\u2192<\/span> brief peak 1989\u20132007-09 <span class=\"pq-ar\">\u2192<\/span> <b class=\"pq-sc\">Gilpin<\/b>: fragile pillars = dollar + MNCs + nuclear weapons <span class=\"pq-ar\">\u2192<\/span> markers of decline: 9\/11 <span class=\"pq-ar\">\u2192<\/span> 2008 crisis (neoliberalism\u2019s limits) <span class=\"pq-ar\">\u2192<\/span> Afghanistan 2021 <span class=\"pq-ar\">\u2192<\/span> Russia\u2013Ukraine <span class=\"pq-ar\">\u2192<\/span> erosion deepest at the consent pillar <span class=\"pq-ar\">\u2192<\/span> de-dollarisation (China, Russia, India, Iran, Saudi Arabia) <span class=\"pq-ar\">\u2192<\/span> AIIB \/ NDB rival Bretton Woods <span class=\"pq-ar\">\u2192<\/span> China across UN agencies<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"pq-fb\">\n<div class=\"pq-pill p3\"><span>Counter-view<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"pq-ft\">\n<p>capability is another matter <span class=\"pq-ar\">\u2192<\/span> <b class=\"pq-sc\">Strange<\/b>: structural power (military, international credit, services, dollar, education) <span class=\"pq-ar\">\u2192<\/span> <b class=\"pq-sc\">Zakaria<\/b>: still unrivalled in many spheres <span class=\"pq-ar\">\u2192<\/span> adaptation, not collapse, decides the future<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"pq-fb\">\n<div class=\"pq-pill p4\"><span>Conclusion routes<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"pq-ft\">\n<p class=\"pq-r\"><i class=\"pq-rt\">Route 1<\/i> no handover: West <span class=\"pq-ar\">\u2192<\/span> Asia, unipolarity <span class=\"pq-ar\">\u2192<\/span> multipolarity, no successor hegemon <span class=\"pq-ar\">\u2192<\/span> <b>Allison\u2019s<\/b> \u201cThucydides Trap\u201d <span class=\"pq-ar\">\u2192<\/span> order open to rivalry and economic shocks <span class=\"pq-ar\">\u2192<\/span> <b class=\"pq-sc\">Keohane<\/b>: an order can outlive its hegemon<\/p>\n<p class=\"pq-r\"><i class=\"pq-rt\">Route 2<\/i> <b class=\"pq-sc\">Behuria<\/b>: \u201cMultipolarity is what the states make of it\u201d <span class=\"pq-ar\">\u2192<\/span> widened strategic autonomy for India <span class=\"pq-ar\">\u2192<\/span> but room for strong powers to bend norms<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"template":"","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"pyq_year":[40],"pyq_marks":[35],"pyq_topic":[76],"pyq_paper":[69],"class_list":["post-1459","psir_pyq","type-psir_pyq","status-publish","hentry","pyq_year-40","pyq_marks-15-marks","pyq_topic-changing-international-political-order","pyq_paper-paper-2"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/psir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/psir_pyq\/1459","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/psir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/psir_pyq"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/psir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/psir_pyq"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/psir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/psir_pyq\/1459\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4871,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/psir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/psir_pyq\/1459\/revisions\/4871"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/psir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1459"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"pyq_year","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/psir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pyq_year?post=1459"},{"taxonomy":"pyq_marks","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/psir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pyq_marks?post=1459"},{"taxonomy":"pyq_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/psir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pyq_topic?post=1459"},{"taxonomy":"pyq_paper","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/psir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pyq_paper?post=1459"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}