A Study Of Robert Kagan 's Thought Of Hegemony

This paper examines the hegemony thought of Robert Kagan. Since the end of the Cold War, U.S made full use of "the strategic dividend" and created a short peak. But the war of Iraq and Afghanistan and the global economic crisis since the end of 2007 has led a serious negative impact on the western countries, China and other Brics countries grew rapidly at the moment.As a result, the United States’ leading role and the governance mode are deeply suspected by the world. The issue of the U.S. role and position, whether the U.S. declined,what’s the appearance of the post-American-world has become the focus of debate and discussion between the United States policy communities and the academic circles.Robert Kagan, as the most outstanding person among the second generation of the new conservative camp, he defined in the United States from the perspective of an American socialism’s moral standing in the world, foreign policy objectives and the relations between the United States and other countries, emphasis on ideology, strategic advantage and liberal world order to maintain American leadership role in the world, for the legitimacy and rationality of American hegemony. Claims that the order is not only in its own interests, and the extension of this order is in compliance with the rest of the world and the people’s interests. Kagan hegemony thought concrete contains four aspects: first, the traditional isolationism diplomatic thoughts, does not think American foreign traditional isolationism, but is derived from the Chinese idea of idealism and expansionism, interference is the tradition of American foreign policy; Second, to adapt to the hegemony of ideas, think the essence of the differences in the us and Europe is in the us and Europe differences in strength and power, the solution is to adapt to the American hegemony; Third, a new cold war thinking, think competition between liberalism and autocracy is the principal contradiction of the current international politics, shall establish democratic alliance in response to a threat; Fourth, the United States to create the world thought that America did not decline, if the U.S. decline free order will collapse.Based on the dialectical materialism, the author thinks Kagan’s hegemony thought has its reasonable places, mainly embodied in dare to insist in the bear’s theory in the "theory of adversity"; attach great importance to the ideological and cultural factors in the role of foreign policy; evaluate powers rise and fall comprehensively and objectively, avoid simple linear thinking. On the other hand, Kagan’s hegemony thought also has its theoretical defects and historical limitations, mainly because its absolute authority view, logical contradictions, American foreign policy tradition’s one-sided understanding;strong Cold War thinking and ignoring the economic influence of American hegemony, ignoring the domestic basis, etc. Generally speaking, Robert Kagan is an idealist, but more a realist, a person who would like to combine power and edification ideal De Gaulle doctrine.The hegemony thought of Robert Kagan is also has the certain enlightenment significance on the current China’s diplomatic strategy, including the peaceful diplomatic tradition, enhance comprehensive national strength, properly deal with geopolitical threat and develop coordination diplomacy, construct "soft restriction", take participate in international multilateral system construction construct multilateralism platform actively, avoid the isolated development and so on.