Hegemonic Decline and the Escalation of Violence
Hegemonic Decline and the Escalation of Violence
The fading of the U.S. security guarantee led to an increase in violence throughout the energy market states. The host states became vulnerable to military challenges by their rivals and began initiating conflicts to eliminate their internal and external rivals immediately, before the time when they would lose American support entirely. However, because the U.S. was now adopting a strategy where it worked with local partners to protect its energy interests rather than working with host governments, these efforts often escalated into larger, longer, and more deadly international conflicts. To illustrate this dynamic, the chapter examines the conflicts in Yemen and Syria. The chapter concludes by arguing that this escalation indicates that many of the host states once allied with the U.S. now seem to doubt the value of the security guarantee, leading them to seek alternative security arrangements.
Keywords: commitment problems, power shifts, state sponsors, resource wars, terrorism, light footprint
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