Twelfth Global Studies Conference

Abstract

Discussions focusing on the exercise of North American power encompass international newscasts as well as simple family gatherings. It is natural that the scope of these discussions is so broad, as the decisions that come from the United States, notably in the foreign policy context, not only impact the international European matrix based system but also often define the foreign policies of several countries, whether they are US allies or not. For these reasons, among others not less relevant, the twentieth century was called the American Century. But would such designation fit the twenty-first century? We know it is too early to define the status of the current century. The intention is, however, to focus on the tension between declinists and hegemonists since the 1990s and to observe the anchoring of arguments. From this perspective, the election of Donald Trump does not inaugurate this declinists versus hegemonists cleavage although it grants it originality. The research was constituted from several variables present in the discussion on the topic since the end of the Cold War and the possibility of transferring a military hegemony project to an economic imperative, supported by the idea of globalization leading the way. Following this hypothesis and considering the vitality of the theme, with an emphasis on the Latin American neighbors, this study presents and updates the debate from the immediate post-Cold War to the first signs of the Trump government.