Unravelling Power and Hegemony: Why Shifting Power Relations Do Not Equal a Change of International Order

This chapter starts with the theoretical unravelling of power and hegemony and how they relate to each other. While power is dynamic and multi-dimensional, hegemony refers to relatively stable structures, based on mutually reinforcing forces and with a ‘semblance of universality’. This implies that a shift in global power relations does not automatically entail a change of hegemonic order. Against this theoretical background, the chapter explores the power and capacity to shape an alternative hegemonic order of two status-seeking powers, Russia and China. Following Cox, it compares their standing in terms of material capabilities, institutions and ideas. This reveals that there is a paradox between the standing of both countries and their (diverging) approach to challenging Western hegemony, which is long-term and non-exclusionary in the case of China, but short-term and confrontational in the case of Russia. While its accrued power may suggest a high potential for China to alter the current hegemonic order, it is argued that this needs to be nuanced. Hegemony may require further ideational factors, such as the ‘distribution of identity’ and material factors, such as alliance formation. Finally, the question is raised whether the current hegemonic order may survive the relative decline of its current hegemon and whether we may face the co-existence of multiple orders.