RELAȚII INTERNAȚIONALE ȘI GUVERNANȚĂ, pages: 35 - 51, 2026

Hegemony at an Inflection Point: U.S. and the Crisis of the International System

Doi: https://doi.org/10.58603/XAXM4926

Rezumat: The current international system is defined by overlapping crises that strain global institutions and test the adaptability of U.S. leadership. The frameworks of the Perfect Storm, the Crises’ Decade, and the Permacrisis provide valuable analytical tools to interpret this turbulence, capturing the interplay between short-term shocks, medium-term cycles of disruption, and long-term systemic fragility. This article employs a qualitative methodology, combining case-based analysis of contemporary conflicts, official policy documents, and scholarly literature to assess U.S. strategic responses under the Trump 2.0 Administration. The goal is not only to diagnose the vulnerabilities of the liberal international order but also to identify potential trajectories for U.S. power in a world marked by revisionism, economically rivalry, and democratic uncertainty.