Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book offers an appropriate bridge in understanding the national/global dichotomy of hegemonic relations as it draws from both the Coxian framework of analysis and that which has been offered by Russian specialists on the complex nature of the post-Communist state. The end of the Cold War, and the subsequent finale of the Uruguay round of GATT negotiations signalled the global consolidation of the neoliberal economic project. The book assesses the literature within both International Relations and International Political Economy (IPE) that engages with the processes of hegemony. It aims to critique the positivist logic of hegemonic stability or leadership that is often outlined by the neo-realist school, and to introduce both Gramsci's conception of hegemony and the contributions that Cox and neo-Gramscians have made in converting his theoretical models to the field of IPE.