U.S. Hegemony, Empirical Findings, and Peace

Abstract

Edward D. Mansfield examines the relationship among the international distribution of power, trade, and war. He concludes that “like all interstate wars, non-major-power wars begin more frequently during periods of hegemony than during non-hegemonic periods…”1 A salient implication of this assertion is that hegemony does not automatically lead to interstate order, stability, and peace. In particular, Mansfield’s general claim stands in sharp contrast with the view held by many mainstream realists, as well as that of several area specialists, who maintain that interstate peace in South America as well as in the rest of Latin America is a direct consequence of U.S. hegemony.2 At this juncture this study evaluates the explanatory value of the “hegemonic peace hypothesis” that causally links U.S. hegemony with the provision and preservation of intraregional peace in South America.