The readings for this module have raised some great points, and I dare say one could structure an entire course around this module. In particular I want to explore the Ikenberry piece about the nature of American power.
I truly appreciate the three ways in which America interacts with the world. Empire, hegemony and security community are good baselines to work from in looking at the current state of affairs. The idea of a security community is a good lens to view America's relationships with Europe. With the expansion of the EU and NATO to include many former Soviet states the community accounts for almost half of the global GDP and one seventh of global population. Of course there are disagreements within this bloc, and much has been made recently about if the EU can survive the recent issues it has had. Regardless, this is a robust political, economic, and military bloc that will almost certainly settle differences without force or outright coercion in the foreseeable future. This recent resurgence of Russia makes the community seem more robust.
Not much has been made in the articles about America acting as an imperial power in relations with South America, Africa and the Middle East. This is a topic that I am in general unfamiliar with, with the exception of America's efforts in the Middle East. An issue that wasn't addressed was China's rising influence in these parts of the globe. A contrast between American and Chinese interactions would be quite interesting.
Now for the pivot to the Pacific. Beeson's piece makes an interesting point about China's rise, at least as of 2009. The use of soft power and diplomacy to provide a counter point to American assertiveness in the region may have been the strategy in the past, but it appears this may not continue. The island building projects in the South China Sea are creating a lot of anxiety in the region, even leading to a statement by ASEAN saying member states are 'seriously concerned' about recent developments. Is this a sign that China is starting to act more as a Great Power that can do what it has the power to do, as Athens saw itself? Will this lead to more cooperation in the Pacific? The rise of security community aimed at protecting itself from China?
I like the point you made about Russia's resurgence regarding the EU's robustness. It reminds me of how some national identities formed and even became stronger as a result of colonial oppression or some other sort of foreign threat. One might argue that a stronger identity among the populous can allow an entity like the EU to become more powerful. It's interesting to think that Russia might actually be strengthening the EU in a way through its actions.
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