ABSTRACT
Although our analyses are guided by a world system perspective which is
evident from the central mechanism o f competition between social
arrangements in the world political economy, this book addresses only one
specific societal type, i.e., Western society at the core. To reflect the future o f
hegemonic rivalry in this chapter some introductory reflections on the
changes and discontinuities o f the 1980s and early 1990s in the system
wherein Western society is on top are appropriate. During the 1980s, history
accelerated enormously. As a result, world society has, in various ways,
changed substantially. What had seemed stable and accountable for decades
underwent remarkable transformations so that it is appropriate to speak o f the
end o f the postwar era (Bomschier and Lengyel 1992). At the core o f the
world system, the whole decade was characterized by technological thrusts
and political transitions. Against the background o f the relative economic
decline o f the United States, the hegemonic power o f the postwar era, the
further economic rise o f Japan was remarkable, but also Western Europe’ s
integrational thrust came quite unexpectedly after long years o f “ Euro
sclerosis” .
