| Summary/Abstract |
The article investigates the impact of the 2022 European security crisis on
global hegemony. The author conceptualizes international hegemony as
a legitimate rule based on the provision of club and public goods, and on
coercion. The more benefits a hegemon’s allies get from such international
order and the more they fear coercion, the more they are willing to
contribute to the hegemonic project. In recent years, the academic
literature has increasingly documented the United States’ decline as a
hegemonic power. In trying to consolidate power and optimize costs, the
hegemon has shattered international regimes it helped create, thereby
losing much of its international legitimacy. A comparative analysis of the
European reaction to the 2014 and 2022 Ukraine crises shows how the
perceived “Russian threat” to security has instantly boosted the legitimacy
of NATO and the U.S. as the main security provider. As a result, the U.S. no
longer faces opposition from its allies to its attempts to dismantle existing
international regimes and halt the production of public goods.
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