Conclusions: Hegemony and world order

The concluding remarks start with a brief explanation how this volume is structured. Then we highlight how this book reshaped the understanding of hegemony, why we have decided to rethink it, and what is novel in the differentiated theoretical approach this book proposes. Then the issue is discussed whether hegemonies are a matter of choice or a ‘matter of systemic inevitability’, a highly likely scenario of increased processes of re-hegemonisation of the regional/global regulatory and institutional arrangements. In the second and third sections of our conclusions we tentatively trace the roots of the current moment of hegemonic change. This is followed by a presentation of a plethora of insights on hegemonic strategies and the geopolitics of hegemony. At the end of the conclusions we offer a comparative summary of potential policy consequences based on key theoretical findings of this volume that can also guide directions of future research.