In his article “Globalization and American Power”, Kenneth Waltz strives to establish the connection between such phenomenon in the world as globalization, and the United States domination in the world. Kenneth Waltz is a former Professor of Political Science at the University of California, and a research associate of war and peace studies at Columbia University. Within the article, the audience will find a strong and convincing argument on the results of interdependence and borderless world phenomenon on establishing the United Sates as a world power with the ever-strong positions on the reason of subjecting the other countries to its ideals and preventing moods through the effects of global cultural, political and economic assimilation.
Discussing the findings of the article, it should be stated that one of the most important of them in explaining the mechanism of forming global tendencies in the world. This mechanism is mostly based on economic principles rather than on political one. Waltz finds this fact to be a happy thought as this helps to make a conclusion that the main dynamic power behind the developments in the world is not in weapons but in money. Making money requires peace in the world, and this is a good news. As a result, globalization along with its economical objective laws is a reason to believe that war in not likely to happen until global economic values are celebrated as the main values for humanity. As an economic monarch in the world, the United States continue to occupy their primary political position in the world due to globalization process. The author sees a strong connection between the success recipe of United States and a wise economic strategy. He describes the economic strategy of the country as a pursuit for the post-industrial values. According to the article’s central idea, the message of the globalizers is in imposing technological, financial and economical values rather that political form of functioning in the world. As a result, the country which is the most powerful economically will automatically become dominating, and nowadays the United States is such country. Therefore, globalization is one of the main reasons behind the prevailing position of United States in the world.
Evaluating the main points of the article, it appears that they are in establishing a strong connection between the values determined by the globalization process and occupying the position of a world power. The author strives to explain that nowadays global values are shifted to finance and technology rather than politics. As the United States have chosen the road of post-industrial development after the World War II, they managed to occupy the position of the world power. One more important point in the article is in explaining that any other strategies like military actions and the NATO expansion to the east is a mistake for the United States which will certainly lead to a problem for the country. He argues that a better way is in continuing to control the economic situation which will guarantee the country’s strong positions in the world.
On the whole, the article “Globalization and American Power” by Kenneth Waltz helps to understand the connection between the process of globalization and the position the United States occupy in the world. It explains that globalization puts financial, economic and technological values higher than political ones. As the country of United States followed the principles of post-industrial development it was able to occupy the central economical position in the world nowadays. Such achievement allows this country to be the world power during the decades after the World War II.
Works Cited
Waltz, Kenneth N. “Globalization and American Power.” The National Interest, no. 59, Center for the National Interest, 2000, pp. 46–56.