American Hegemony and the Trilateral Commission (Cambridge Studies in International Relations, Series Number 5)

American Hegemony and the Trilateral Commission, first published in 1991, makes an original contribution to a subject of great interest to specialists and students of international relations and international political economy - the extent and nature of America as an international power and a hegemonic state up until the end of the 1980s. In examining the role of the USA in the post-war world order, Stephen Gill challenges arguments concerning the relative decline of American hegemony. He maintains that instead of equating hegemony with the dominance of one state over other states, one should redefine the question of hegemony in terms of the relationship between economic, military, cultural and political forces. Gill also develops a concept of transnational hegemony - the rise in the power of internationally mobile capital. List Of Figures -- List Of Tables -- Acknowledgments -- 1. Introduction -- Focus Of The Study -- Analysing Of The Trilateral Commission -- Ideology, Identity, Interests And Political Culture -- On Perspectives -- Criteria For Evaluation -- 2. Realist And Liberal Perspectives -- Realism And Mercantilism -- Realism And The International Economic Order -- Realism And Trilateral Co-operation -- Transnational Liberalism -- Public Choice Theory -- Trilateral Co-operation And Public Choice -- 3. Marxist Perspectives: The Question Of Hegemony Redefined -- Classical Marxism -- World Systems Theory -- Gramscian Historical Materialism -- Transnational Historical Materialism -- Organic Intellectuals And Trilateral Co-operation -- The Problem Of Hegemony Redefined -- 4. The Decline Of American Hegemony: Myth And Reality -- The Thesis Of Hegemonic Decline -- American Hegemonic Decline: A Critique -- The Security Structure And American Military Dominance -- Conclusion: Decline Or Continuity --^ 5. Towards An American-centered Transnational Hegemony -- Class Fractions And Historic Blocs -- Trilateralism And Transnational Capitalism -- The Crisis Of Postwar Hegemony -- The Recessions Of The 1970s And 1980s And Their Effects -- Reaganomics: Its Impact, Its Limits -- Theorising The Rising Power Of Internationally Mobile Capital -- 6. Private International Relations Councils -- Private International Relations Councils -- The Development Of Atlanticism -- Bilderberg -- Formation Of The Trilateral Commission -- 7. Aims, Activities, Organisation And Membership Of The Trilateral Commission -- Aims And Objectives Of The Trilateral Commission -- Activities -- Organisation And Leadership -- Representation And Composition Of Membership -- Financing The Trilateral Commission -- Commission Members In Goverment -- Political Acceptability Of The Commission In The United States -- 8. Theoretical And Practical Aspects Of The Trilateral Commission -- Interdependence Issues -- Security Issues --^ The International Economy In The Late 1970s And 1980s -- The Trilateral Theme Par Excellence -- A Higher Goal: Global Community Or The Withering Away Of Communism? -- 9. Hegemony, Knowledge And The Limits Of Internationalism -- Changes In American Hegemony -- Global Restructuring And The Stability Of World Capitalism -- Transnationalisation And International Co-operation -- International Concepts And Trilateralism -- The Trilateral Commission, International Concepts And American Foreign Policy -- Interests, Identity, Ideology, And Knowledge -- Theory And Hegemony -- Appendices -- Appendix 1: Regional And National Membership Of The Trilateral Commission, 1973-85 -- Appendix 2: Breakdown Of Trilateral Commission Membership By Occupational Category (expressed As Percentage Of Total Members 1973-85) -- Appendix 3: Trilateral Commissioners And Staff Members Interviewed (plus Methodological Note) -- Appendix 4: List Of Trilateral Commission Publications (chronological Sequence) -- Notes --^ Select Bibliography -- Index. Stephen Gill. Includes Index. Bibliography: P. 269-279. Dr Stephen Gill makes an original contribution to the extent and nature of America as a hegemonic state. He challenges arguments concerning the relative decline of American hegemony and develops a novel concept of transnational capital - the rise in the power of internationally mobile capital. This study of the extent and nature of America as an international power challenges arguments about the relative decline of American hegemony and maintains that the question of hegemony should be redefined in terms of the relationship between economic, military, cultural and political forces