The Global Role of

the US : The US as a
‘security maximiser’
a
Idealism vs. Realism in International Relations
• Since WW II international security has based on the application of
realist theories to building an international system
• Realism sees nation-states, and state power, as critical elements of the
global system, with states being motivated purely by national interests
• Internationalism and morality in state action occurs only when it is in
the interests of a state to so act, for its own benefit
• The post-WW II UN system was built on realist principles and designed
to overcome many of the limitations of the League of Nations, created
after WW I, which failed to prevent the second war.
• The inter-war ‘idealists’ were seen as having overestimated the extent
of ‘common interests’ and over-emphasized equality of states leading to
the failure of the League of Nations
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Core elements of Realism – the 3Ss

• States are critical actor in the international system - Statism

• Inter-state relations is essentially about a struggle for power

between states in an anarchic world – Survival

• A state cannot depend on other states for its survival, and it has to
ensure its own survival - Self-help

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Structural Realism and the UN System and the
US
• Structural realism is the application of realist theories to building an
international political structure
• Structural realism recognizes the lack of a super-sovereign
• Waltz’s three elements
• Components: sovereign nation states
• Organizing principles: anarchy vs. hierarchy…and hierarchy better than
anarchy
• Distribution of capabilities: differences in economic and military power
between states would always exist
• States could be ‘power maximizers’ (anti status quo powers) or
‘security maximisers’ (states seeking stability for growth)
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• Responsible states (security maximizers) would recognize the dangers
.

of rouge states (power maximizers) and take collective action to

maintain a stable status-quo
• An ideal system would create a hierarchic international system that
would recognize differences in capabilities and order the world system
accordingly
• To ensure stability, the security maximisers would be given significant
power in the international system
• The United Nations system was built on the principle of structural-
realism, giving five powers (the US, Soviet Union, France, UK and China)
the role of ensuring global security through the UN Security Council
• With the decline of France and the UK, after they lost their colonies
from the 40s to the 60s, the collapse of the Soviet Union in the late
eighties, and with China not yet a global power, the US has played the
role of a global ‘security maximiser’ since 1991
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The US Global Role
• The US has been a global power since World War II, using its military and
economic power to confront what it felt were ‘disruptor’ states or
movements worldwide
• US global engagement has been based on the belief that isolation would
eventually force it to engage abroad – the lesson of the two World Wars
• The enemies have changed often – Soviet Union (1945 – 1989), Russia
(2014 onwards), China (2016 onwards), global terrorism (2001 onwards),
the Islamic State (2014 onwards)
• US exercises power in three ways – economic, multilateral and military
• US economic power is exercised by leveraging its large domestic market
and its role as the major global financial power because of the dominance
of the US dollar in global financial system
US Imports 2018
(Source: https://howmuch.net/articles/us-exports-imports-trade-balance)
US Imports 2018
(Source: https://howmuch.net/articles/us-exports-imports-trade-balance)
• US economic and financial heft gives it the power to influence states by
both providing it preferential treatment in terms of trade and finance and
also punishing them by denying access to its domestic market and US
financial services (For eg. the sanctions on Russia, Iran)
• The US has also dominated many multilateral institutors like the UN, the
the IMF, the World Bank and the WTO both by their articles of association
and also more indirectly by its ability to influence members
• However, its greatest influence is its ability to project military power
worldwide – it has the largest defence budget in the world (US$ 732 billion
in 2019 out of total worldwide spending of US$ 1.97 trillion according to
the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute)
Top Military Spenders 2019
(Source: Stockholm International Peace Research Institute Military Expenditure Database,
April 2020)
US Military Bases Worldwide involved in counter -terrorism
(Source: https://geographicalimaginations.com/tag/us-military-bases/)
The US Disengagement under Trump
• President Trump felt that the US has overextended itself and takes on too
much of the defence burden of its allies – in the Pacific, Europe and the
Middle East. The only exception has been Israel of which he was a strong
supporter
• The US reduced troop levels in Europe, Iraq and Afghanistan
• President Trump did not believe in alliances or multilateral agreements
preferring instead to put ‘America First’ by taxing less and spending more
within the US, and on homeland protection
• The US launched trade action to protect domestic jobs and called for
significant reform of the IMF, World Bank and the WTO
• The US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo said in a speech to NATO on
December 2, 2018, that the US was building “a new liberal order, based on the
principle of putting national sovereignty before multilateralism for its own
sake”
• This worried allies who felt the US was no longer interested in committing
itself to protecting them against Russia, China and other emerging threats
Disengagement from international institutions and
agreements 2016-20 and reasons given
• 2016: Transpacific Partnership – would lead to loss of jobs and investment
• 2017: Paris Climate Agreement – would lead to loss of jobs and investment
• 2017: UNESCO – anti-Israel bias
• 2017: Global Compact for Migration – promotes migration
• 2017: NATO – did not reaffirm Article V because allies are not spending enough on their
defence
• 2018: Iran Nuclear Deal – too favorable to Iran, threatens Israel
• 2018: UNHCR – anti-Israel bias
• 2018: UNRWA – anti-Israel bias
• 2018: INF Treaty with Russia, China is not part of the agreement
• 2020: Open Skies Treaty – Russia not allowing monitoring flights over critical regions
• 2020: Blocking appointment of WTO Appellate Body judges – it promotes free trade
• 2020: WHO – not hard enough on China with regard to Covid-19
Impact of US withdrawal
• The US withdrawal primarily emboldens other powers in regions
where they have so far been kept in check by a global US role. These
powers/regions include:
• China (in the Pacific, Latin America and Africa)
• Russia (in MENA, Europe and Latin America)
• North Korea (in the Pacific)
• Iran (in the Persian Gulf and Middle East)
• This raised regional tensions and further increased global instability
• Allies, concerned about the US withdrawal also try to develop
independent military capabilities (France, Saudi Arabia, South Korea,
Japan…)
Biden’s Challenges
• Overcome the Covid-19 Pandemic
• Securing vaccines, vaccinating, and vaccinating fairly and evenly
• Focus on the domestic agenda of ensuring growth, creating jobs, and
rebuilding race-relations
• Retain, and if possible, increase the Democratic majorities in the
Senate and House of Representatives
• Re-engage with multilateral institutions and agreements – WHO,
WTO, NATO, the Paris Convention….
• Reassuring allies of US support and global engagement
• Dealing with resurgent China, Russia, Iran and North Korea…and if
that fails dealing with resurgent Taiwan, Saudi Arabia, South Korea,
Japan…
Vaccines ordered per capita
(Source: https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2020/11/12/rich-countries-grab-half-of-projected-covid-19-
vaccine-supply)
COVID-19 vaccine doses administered per 100
people as of February 1, 2021
(Source: https://ourworldindata.org/covid-vaccinations)
COVID-19 vaccine doses administered per 100 people in
different US States as of February 2, 2021
(Source: https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#vaccinations)