Liberalna hegemonija ili imperij?

Unilateralizam, ideologija američke izuzetnosti i strategija preventivnog rata obilježili su administraciju Georgea W. Busha. Liberalni internacionalisti kritizirali su tu politiku, koja je oblikovana pod utjecajem neokonzervativaca, tvrdeći da se njome sustav liberalne hegemonije nastoji preobratiti u imperij. Oni tvrde da politika Georgea W. Busha nije zasnovana na koncepciji liberalnog internacionalizma Woodrowa Wilsona i da invazija Iraka nije primjer primjene doktrine odgovornosti za zaštitu. G. John Ikenberry i Anne-Marie Slaughter, polazeći od postavke da Ujedinjeni narodi ne odgovaraju potrebama suvremenog svijeta, zagovaraju uspostavu takvih multilateralnih institucija koje će davati legitimitet akcijama primjene sile protiv država koje ugrožavaju međunarodnu sigurnost i nisu u stanju jamčiti sigurnost svojih građana. Premda naizgled oštro suprotstavljen neokonzervativnim koncepcijama, tako definiran liberalni internacionalizam ne odbacuje ni ideju o američkoj izuzetnosti ni strategiju preventivnog rata.Unilateralism, the ideology of American exceptionalism and the strategy of preventive war marked the administration of George W. Bush. This policy, formed under the influence of neo-conservatives, has been criticized by liberal internationalists, with argument that it tries to convert the system of liberal hegemony into an empire. They argue that the policies of George W. Bush were not based on the concept of Woodrow Wilson’s liberal internationalism, and that the invasion of Iraq was not an example of application of doctrine of responsibility to protect. Starting from the premise that the United Nations do not suit the needs of the modern world, G. John Ikenberry and Anne-Marie Slaughter are advocating the establishment of such multilateral institutions which would legitimize the use of force against countries threatening international security, and which are not capable to guarantee the security of its citizens.Thus defined liberal internationalism, which is seemingly strongly opposed to the neo-conservative concepts, does not reject the idea of American exceptionalism or even a strategy of preventive war