Ian Bremmer and Flynt Leverett
as states large and small struggle to cope with and find a way out of the current economic crisis, it is not too early to begin thinking about how the “Great Recession” will alter the world’s politics. Countries that have the economic fundamentals and resilience to emerge relatively early from the crisis — China, some Gulf states, Brazil, and India — are also likely to emerge stronger politically.
But will the rise of new power centers result in genuine multipolarity, in which a more diverse set of countries works with the United States to make decisions about the global economic and political order? Or will the decline of U.S. hegemony result in a condition of “nonpolarity,” in which no set of players assumes effective responsibility for the system as a whole?
This is a critical question, for the powers that we foresee coming out of the Great Recession in a stronger position are not likely, on their own, to embrace the full range of strategic responsibilities traditionally associated with “superpower” status. Thus, the United States and other established powers must incorporate rising states into the structures and processes of global economic governance.
Excerpt reproduced with permission from Foreign Policy, www.foreignpolicy.com. Copyright 2009 Washingtonpost.Newsweek Interactive LLC. Read the full article at[http://www.foreignpolicy.com/story/cms.php?story_id=4894]