How to Decline Hegemony

BY EMANI WASHINGTON

The Global Studies program presented Dissent in America Teach-In Series: Declining Hegemony: The US and the Middle East Under Trump.

This teach-in aimed to get students to understand the US’s declining hegemony and position in the Middle East.

Associate Professor of Political Science Sean Yom suggested what he feels is the best foreign policy strategy going forward.

“When you don’t have consistent experts and policy advisors who are giving you consistent advice, a foreign policy can become very prone to very sharp turns and reversals that are unpredictable and that’s usually bad for the world,” Yom said.

The US has exercised an unparalleled amount of military domination in the Middle East and North Africa and economic strength in the world. In terms of foreign intervention, no other country has been able to match that level.

At some point within the next 10-15 years, that dominance that the US has overseas, may start to decline.

An anonymous student shared the feelings on why it is important for students to get a true understanding of foreign policy and what’s going on in the world.

“Our say in the rest of the world, it can’t go to zero,” they said. We need to keep it at a responsible level. I think people my age need to remain knowledgeable about these situations, especially earlier on in life. I feel like over the past generations we’ve waited too long to get involved in global politics and more domestic politics which has put a stunt on any progress we can make as a generation.”

This teach-in allowed students to get a clearer idea of Trumps administration and its foreign policy strategies.