Friends or enemies? An evaluation of the relationship between rising hegemonies and established hegemonies in international relations

Abstract

There are some who see China's sudden rise to the position of power and influence on the globe as a threat to their position and place in world economy. Current trends in world politics however reveals that the quest to rise to the place of hegemony and the need to sustain once position as the dominant hegemony in international politics have set into motion, series of actions leading to various kinds of espionage campaign between the countries involved. This study is a critical evaluation of the intrigues and politics of power which raises the ultimate question of ―who is a friends or an enemy in the emerging global system‖? The paper adopts the traditional methods of critical analysis in philosophy to evaluate data collected from secondary sources with a view to evaluate and analyse the strengths and weaknesses of the propositions and assumptions arising from the situation. The paper identifies some degree of exaggeration in the fears which Americans are nursing presently. The paper recommends that the countries under review need adopt the complex independent theory of international relations which has the capacity to synthesize elements of the realist and the liberal thoughts among the countries under review.