The Rise of the Multipolar World: Decline of United States Dominance?

Abstract

This United States domination of the international system has been much discussed as the post cold war international system but as seen in the recent subject, there is a trend towards continual distribution of power. This paper reviews the issues of the erosion of the unipolar order and assesses to what level an emerging multipolar order is transforming the global politics up to 2023. Using the theory of power transition and structural realism, the analysis discusses three aspects under which the convergence of economies due to the rise of China, geopolitical reemergence of Russia, and increasing agency of regional and plurilateral formations like the European Union, the ASEAN, and BRICS were discussed. The results show that though the United States benefits may still remain structural, its unilateral dominance capacity has faded. Instead of a stable multipolar order, the prevailing order portrays a state of transition and conflict marked with strategic rivalry, institutional fragmentation and selective cooperation with major ramifications on the international government and international stability.