"We have to ensure that the United States is ready, ready to win and superior to all other military forces in the world." - Bill Clinton.
The current world system, that being one of US Hegemony or unipolarity; its nature, and its durability is an interesting concept to explore in the as a student of World Politics. While realists and liberal theorists" argue that US hegemony is vulnerable and relatively short lived, it can also be argued from a systemic realist point of view that the present international structure is unquestionably unipolar, is inherently sturdy, as is unlikely to experience demise in the near future. Although there is qualitative and quantitative data to support this argument, it is also necessary to search for more extensive reasoning within opposing paradigms. .
The sole power distribution of US hegemony .
The premise that the current structure of international politics is unipolar is substantiated in the provision of an array of data delineating the differential power capabilities of great powers over a period of time . Using the historical periods of the "Pax Britannica" and the Cold War as examples, it has been demonstrated that the current distribution of capabilities differ from the multi-polar and bi-polar systems evident in the two respective time frames. The United States" preponderance in all components of power give it symmetrical, as opposed to asymmetrical superiority over other great powers, and therefore the nature of this pole is unique in modern history. Factors contributing to designation as a pole have changed in recent times and so moves to give a more "up-to-date" illustration of power distribution, in which the United States again displays outstanding results in its advanced high-technology economy, dramatic expenditure on research and development, and triumph in global "leading sectors". .
Nye argues however, that world polarity is not founded on a single tier, but in fact consists of three levels.