Ncert Solutions for Class 12 Political science (Contemporary world politics) US hegemony in world politics [Old Book]

NCERT
SOLUTIONS
CLASS - 12th

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Book : Contemporary World Politics Ncert Solutions | Chapter - 3 Social Science Political Science

Class : 12th
Subject : Political science
Chapter : 3
Chapter Name : US hegemony in world politics

Q1 Which among the following statements about hegemony is incorrect?
(a) The word implies the leadership or predominance of one state.
(b) It was used to denote the predominance of Athens in ancient Greece.
(c) The country having hegemonic position will possess unchallenged military power.
(d) Hegemonic position is fixed. Once a hegemon, always a hegemon.

Answer. (d) Hegemonic position is fixed. Once a hegemon, always a hegemon.

Page : 49 , Block Name : Exercises

Q2 Which among the following statements is wrong about the contemporary world order?
(a) There is an absence of world government, which could regulate the State’s behaviour.
(b) The US is the predominant player in world affairs.
(c) States are using forces against one another.
(d) States, which violate international law, are severely punished by the UN.

Answer. (c) States are using forces against one another.

Page : 49 , Block Name : Exercises

Q3 Which among the following statements is wrong with regard to ‘Operation Iraqi Freedom’?
(a) More than forty countries joined the US-led coalition of the willing to invade army.
(b) The reason given for invading Iraq was to prevent it from developing weapons of mass
destruction.
(c) The action was taken with the prior approval to the UN.
(d) The US-led coalition did not face major resistance Iraqi forces.

Answer. (c) The action was taken with the prior approval to the UN.

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Book : Contemporary World Politics Ncert Solutions | Chapter - 3 Social Science Political Science

Q4 Give an example each of the three kinds of hegemony that are dealt with in the
chapter. Do not cite examples that are in the chapter.

Hard power : The hegemonization in terms of the 'military power' is considered as the
hard power, in the context of political prominence. For example , the attack of USA upon
Afghanistan by the use of 'MOAB' by Donald Trump, shows the domination of the USA in
terms of hard power.

Structural power : The hegemonization in terms of the 'economic power' is considered as
the structural power, in the context of monetary prominence. For example, the change in
NAFTA, between USA-Mexico-Canada , will affect the parameters of economic
relationship of other countries, because of the economic domination by Western
European countries.

Soft power : The hegemonization in terms of the 'cultural power' is considered as the soft
power, in the context of societal prominence. For example, the domination of Ramen or
Chinese noodles in most of the countries and also the growth of K-pop at a tremendous
level.

Q5 Mention three ways in which US dominance since the cold war is different from its
position as a superpower during the cold war.

Answer. The era of bi-polarity, saw the dominance of the sectors by the two blocs- USA
and USSR as the division of the powers was present between the countries. The system
of the critiques to the models and the policies was also present in the context of Cold -
War. The power equation for USA changed in three main ways:

(a) Hard power:The hegemonization in terms of the 'military power' is considered as the
hard power , in the context of political prominence. USA dominated the avenue of military
as the military budget of the respective country is equivalent to the budget of the other 12
countries. The operations led by the USA like Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Desert
Storm etc are the evident examples of this power.

(b) Structural power: The hegemonization in terms of the 'economic power' is considered
as the structural power, in the context of monetary prominence. USA dominated the
economic avenue due to the domination over the world trade and economic treaties like
NAFTA, Bretton-woods agreement etc.

(c) Soft power : The hegemonization in terms of the 'cultural power' is considered as the
soft power, in the context of societal prominence. USA had a tremendous soft power due
to the propagation of 'jeans culture' and 'Mcdonaldization'.

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Book : Contemporary World Politics Ncert Solutions | Chapter - 3 Social Science Political Science

Q6 Match the following
(i) Operation Infinite Reach a) War against Al-Qaeda and Taliban
(ii) Operation Enduring Freedom b) Coalition of the Willing
(iii) Operation Desert Storm c) Missile Attack in Sudan
(iv) Operation Iraqi Freedom d) First Gulf War

i . Operation Infinite Reach (c) Missile Attack in Sudan

ii. Operation Enduring Freedom (a)War against Al-Qaeda and Taliban

iii. Operation Desert Storm (d)First Gulf War

iv. Operation Iraqi Freedom (b) Coalition of the Willing

Q7 What are the constraints on American hegemony today? Which one of these do you
expect to get more important in the future?

Answer. The three main constraints on the hegemony of US are:
(a) The separation of powers between the organs of -executive, legislature and judiciary.
This seperation of power results in the creation of system of checks and balances.
(b) The NATO, is also considered as a restraint on the power of the USA as it consists of
many countries and before any declaration, USA has to take approval from the respective
ally countries.
(c) The society of the USA , is quite sensitive to the governmental decisions, so it is also
considered as a major constraint on the USA's hegemony.

The society of USA can prove to be the major constraint on the hegemony of USA as
recently, the whole women community has protested against the abortion laws,
transgender laws and immigration laws introduced by Donald Trump to propogate the
notions of Islamophobia and Misogyny.

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Book : Contemporary World Politics Ncert Solutions | Chapter - 3 Social Science Political Science

Q8 Read the three extracts in the chapter from the Lok Sabha debate on the Indo-US
deal. Develop any one of these into a full speech defending a certain position on Indo-US
relations.

Speech : Dr. Mahmohan Singh.

The globalisation has impacted every avenue of the political, economic, and cultural
significance in the contemporary world. The concentration of power is an illusion but a
necessary evil as the USA has dominated the sectors for ages. The relationship with
countries will result in the conditions of solidarity and cooperation between the countries ,
for the support at an international level.

The Nuclear deal-2008, will result in the growth of close proximal relationship between the
respective two countries. It will benefit the country of India, primarily on the lines that will
be a profitable assets against the 'traditional sources of threats' to the external security.
The wars with China and Pakistan has made it necessary for India , to enhance the
nuclear deal to protect its democratic nature.

For the maintenance of sovereignty, territorial integrity and development it is very
imperative for India to establish good relations with USA. It will help India to develop in
terms of hard power, economic power and soft power. These proximal relations will
quintessentially help India in the diplomatic relations regarding tough neighbourhood and
Pakistan.

Q9 “ if big and resourceful states cannot resist the US hegemony, it is unrealistic to
expect much smaller and weaker non-state actors to offer any resistance”. Examine this
proposition and give your opinion.

Answer. The non - state actors will have a tremendous impact upon the hegemony of
USA because of these reasons:
(a) The media has an imperative impact upon the hegemony of USA, as it acts as a
system of checks and balances by assessing the undemocratic character of the
government.
(b) The society and the civil societies have an impact upon the policies of government
because they act as the pressure groups upon the governing institutions.
(c) The feminist groups, trade unions etc increase their social capital and limit the
government from turning into an authoritarian one.
(d) The international agencies and volags( voluntary agencies) also help in limiting the
excess power of the hegemon countries like USA.

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Book : Contemporary World Politics Ncert Solutions | Chapter - 3 Social Science Political Science

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