ABSTRACT
Debate about US power is endless, but there is a consensus that it has been preponderant since 1945. Following on from this comes the claim that the US is an hegemon, which created stability by inducing others to follow rules in a system of which it was the architect. According to hegemony theory, the hegemon usually prevails over others, not by the use of force, but by socialising them into its norms. In the case of the US, this means the free market in the economic sphere, liberal politics and anti-communism in the political.1
