США на пути к мировому лидерству: итоги и уроки для нового столетия

Abstract

The article deals with one of the most topical problems of modern international relations — the U.S. hegemony in the international community. It analyses its integral parts and the foreign policy of Washington toward leadership on the world arena, which represents the strategy of establishment of the "Pax-Americana". The author reviews the succession of the American strategy and shows the key role of the second half of the 20th century for its implementation. It is emphasized that the realization of the goal of the global predominance and the creation of the "open-door" world took the form of the Cold War. In this regard the shaping role of the bipolar confrontation for the concept of the global leadership is also touched upon. It is pointed out that despite declarations to the contrary, the Cold War as the strategy for the establishment of the American n ew world order has not been finished after the elimination of the Soviet Union — its main object and the only geopolitical obstacle for the United States during the Cold War. It is over only as the bipolar confrontation with the USSR, as a result of its collapse. The author demonstrates that the above-mentioned strategy has only changed its form in accordance with the modern international conditions. Therefore its fundamental scope today is to preserve and protect the U.S. leading role in the world as the only superpower. The testimony of this trend is the NATO enlargement as well as the involvement of the strategically important regions of the world and those of the former USSR into the American sphere of influence and vital interests. The significance of the Marshall Plan which laid the basis for the success of the U.S. predominance is also proved. The article shows that the above strategy is being realized today in its current form of the implementation of the American leadership in global dimension. The author views this to be the next stage b y the construction of the U.S. of a n ew world order, and tries to predict the perspectives of the American strategy and those of the one-polar system of international relations. The factor of the "common threat" and its influence on the U.S. foreign policy is also touched upon. It is pointed out that the necessity to counter this "threat" gave the possibility for Washington to start the implementation of its strategy on the initial stage of the Cold War. In this connection the author finds the historical parallels with today's threat of the international terrorism as one of the driving forces for the present U.S. geopolitical expansion. The article marks the sphere of utter importance for the n ew international system (e. g. the U.S. relations with China, Russia, India and the united Europe) as well as possible perspectives of its development in the context of the U.S. intention to dominate, having in mind the recurrence of the historical process. It finds out some results and lessons of the American leadership and its implementation. The author assumes that the necessity to compromise even the vital interests is crucial for peace and stability on the world arena as far as the U.S. intention to prevent the emergence of any n ew center of power, being able to oppose the realization of the "world predominance" strategy, is the root of the conflicts of the n ew century.