In-Person
Seminar

Brave New World: A Future with Peer Regional Hegemons

Harvard Faculty, Fellows, Staff, and Students

The United States has been the hegemon of the Western Hemisphere since the late 19th century. Indeed, it is the only regional hegemon in modern history. Should it fear another great power rising to a comparable position elsewhere in the world? 

For more information, contact susan_lynch@hks.harvard.edu 

The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Higgins (DDG 76) conducts bilateral operations with Royal Canadian Navy Halifax-class frigate HMCS Vancouver (FFH 331)
In this photo released by U.S. Navy, The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Higgins (DDG 76) conducts bilateral operations with Royal Canadian Navy Halifax-class frigate HMCS Vancouver (FFH 331) during routine operations in the Taiwan Strait, Oct. 20, 2024.

Speaker: Joshua Byun, Assistant Professor of Political Science, Boston College

The United States has been the hegemon of the Western Hemisphere since the late 19th century. Indeed, it is the only regional hegemon in modern history. Should it fear another great power rising to a comparable position elsewhere in the world? 

The speaker theorizes how the emergence of a peer hegemon in a distant region would alter the security environment of a formerly lone regional hegemon. Solitary regional hegemony markedly reduces threats to a great power’s vital interests by facilitating the maintenance of local military preponderance and easy access to core economic regions. 

In a world of two regional hegemons, however, each side has a strong incentive to be the first to erode the other’s regional dominance and thereby undercut its ability to project power outside its neighborhood. The resulting security competition puts significant duress on both hegemons’ ability to safeguard their territorial integrity and political autonomy, as well as their ability to accumulate wealth through engagement with key regions. The speaker uses this framework to shed light on the ongoing U.S.-China rivalry, concluding that the United States’ efforts to safeguard its vital interests would be seriously challenged should China become a regional hegemon in East Asia.

Admittance is on a first come–first served basis.  Tea and Coffee Provided.

Joshua Byun
Speaker

Joshua Byun