Conceptualizing the Nexus of “Interdependent Hegemony” between the Existing and the Emerging World Orders

Abstract

The paper intends to contribute a framework of conceptualizing the emerging world order through interpreting the transformation of international political economy in an era of the rise of the BRICS and the “second world.” It theorizes the dialectical nexus between the rise of the BRICs and the existing world order as an interdependent dynamic process of mutual challenge, mutual constraint, and mutual accommodation. One of the conceptual tools the paper applies is the notion of interdependent hegemony. The notion is seen as an important tool for conceptualizing and analyzing international relations and international political economy in the current era. The application of “interdependent hegemony” helps to explain that to what extent the BRICS can be identified as a unified alliance, a historical bloc, and to what extent they are generating functional or structural challenges to the existing international order. Likewise, it also helps to determine to what extent the hegemony of the existing order is still able to keep its resilient capacities and its structural powers and able to neutralize challenges from the emerging powers. The conclusion of the paper posits that the world is experiencing “interdependent hegemony” in the transition from the existing order to the emerging order.