This book of essays by the a leading figure in the new generation of American IR theorists explores the theoretical, historical, and foreign policy implications of American power and postwar order. The first part of the book focuses on the origins and foundational logic of America's post-war order-building project - advancing ideas about 'liberal hegemony' and 'constitutional order'. The second part reflects on its evolving character and fate in the aftermath of the Cold War, the rise of unipolarity, and the post-9/11 threat of global terrorism.

In this unique study of a superpower, Ikenberry argues that though the American world order is now in upheaval, in the end, the United States still has powerful incentive to sponsor and operate within a liberal rules-based system.

John Ikenberry is Professor of Politics and International Affairs at Princeton University.

Acknowledgements

Introduction

Part One: Constitutionalism and Liberal Hegemony

Chapter One: Rethinking the Origins of American Hegemony

Chapter Two: Socialization and Hegemonic Power

Chapter Three: The Nature and Sources of Liberal International Order

Chapter Four: Constitutional Politics in International Relations

Chapter Five: American Power and the Empire of Capitalist Democracy

Part Two: Unipolarity and Multilateralism

Chapter Six: The Myth of Post Cold-War Chaos

Chapter Seven: Getting Hegemony Right

Chapter Eight: American Grand Strategy in the Age of Terror

Chapter Nine: America's Imperial Ambition

Chapter Ten: The End of the Neo-Conservative Moment

Chapter Eleven: Is American Multilateralism in Decline?

Index