What is a Hegemon in International Relations?

In every area of society, there are always leaders who possess the most amount of power. For example, presidents are leaders of countries, chief executive officers are leaders of businesses, and principals are leaders of schools. The Global Community is no exception; there are always countries that have the most power, lead coalitions, international organizations, and can influence the actions of other states in their favor, these countries are called hegemons. On the world stage, the United States is currently the most powerful country and thus is deemed a global hegemon. The United States has maintained global hegemony since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, as they have maintained almost unchallenged leadership in international organizations and alliances. Another contributor to being a hegemon is economic strength and production. The United States has the highest Gross Domestic Product of any country and has established much of the current World Order after World War II, such as spearheading the creation of the United Nations. However, there can be regional hegemons as well. 

A regional hegemon is a country that leads its region by establishing multifaceted diplomatic relations and can impact or control many of the decisions of countries around it. An example of an aspiring regional hegemon is China. China has the second highest Gross Domestic Product in the world and it has been projected by many economists that China could overtake the United States in the near future. Therefore, China is currently the most economically powerful country in Asia. China has tried to assert its global power through an intergovernmental organization, Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa (BRICS) seeking to deepen the economic ties of member states through trade. China’s power is demonstrated by BRICS mainly using the Chinese Yuan rather than the United States Dollar for transactions. However, India and Japan are steadfast in their opposition to China becoming a regional hegemon. The status of regional hegemon and even global hegemon are always heavily contested, and many countries' grand strategy is to become regional hegemon. However, in most regions there is no defined hegemon; instead, many countries vie to increase their own relative power in their region.