Hegemony in international society Ian Clark.

Introduction : Is hegemony compatible with international society -- Theory of hegemony -- Hegemony and IR theory -- An English School theory of hegemony -- Legitimacy and the institutional forms of hegemony -- Hegemony in historical international society -- Collective hegemony : the Concert of Europe, 1815-1914 -- Singular hegemony : Pax Britannica, 1815-1914 -- Coalitional hegemony : Pax Americana, 1945-1971 -- Hegemony in contemporary international society -- Hegemony in international organization : the UN Security Council -- Hegemony in regional order : East Asia -- Hegemony in international policy : the climate change regime -- Conclusion : the United States in international society.

Makes a sharp distinction between primacy, denoting merely a form of material power, and hegemony, understood as a legitimate practice, and as giving rise to a form of social power. Adopting an English School approach, suggests hegemony be considered as one potential institution of international society, and hence as one possible mechanism of international order. Reviews some relevant historical cases (the Concert of Europe, Pax Britannica, and Pax Americana) and argues that, instead of one model of hegemony, these represent several different variants: importantly, each displays its own distinctive legitimacy dynamics which can help us identify the possible institutional forms of hegemony in contemporary international society. This is done through three cases, examining in turn US policy on the UN Security Council, in East Asia, and on climate change. The overall argument challenges the limited post-Cold War debate about primacy, and the equally simplistic projections about the future distribution of power to which it gives rise, offering a major rethinking of the concept of hegemony in international relations.