The Eastern Atomic Rise: Defining Nuclear Hegemony in a Multi-lateral World

Most existing literature in the field of international relations on the hegemonic dimension of nuclear technology is written from a realist, western perspective within the context of the Cold War. It focuses on its military, defense, and security dimensions, non-proliferation and safety, and some analyses of hegemony from a cultural media perspective. This theory-building paper offers contrasting understanding of nuclear hegemony, which recognizes three recent developments: 1) diminished Western Hegemony in nuclear technology; 2) growing Chinese nuclear capacity in energy geopolitics; and 3) growing concerns about global energy security. This paper begins with an overview of these developments and a review of the current state of literature on the concept of nuclear hegemony. The paper then reviews the research methodology employed by the author to interrogate conventional understandings of nuclear hegemony. A discussion section then identifies the extent to which current thinking on nuclear hegemony reflects current geopolitical realities. This section includes a proposed new definition of nuclear hegemony. The paper concludes by examining the implications of this study and recommendations for application and further study