Is Unipolarity Peaceful?

Unipolarity is more peaceful than what theorists predict. In causal terms, its dynamics might be less unidirectional than what is often assumed. First, contrary to Monteiro’s assumption, the character of today’s aggregation mechanisms is not adversarial. This is because the nature of polarity has changed over time. Second, in contrast to domestic alliance aspects, Monteiro’s structural inclinations lead him to overlook the importance of domestic politics when analyzing the targets of the unipole’s ‘temptation to re-engineer the system’. Third, since Monteiro believes that wars against smaller states are very likely, he seems to assume a deterministic stance, thereby leaving no room for US diplomacy to reject such determinism at opportune moments. Finally, neglecting economic aspects, Monteiro does not recognize the socio-political effects of the security-economics nexus on smaller states.