En Route from American Exceptionalism to Institutional Hegemony: A Theoretical Study with a Neoclassical Realistic Approach

This paper explores how American Exceptionalism has influenced U.S. grand strategy in maintaining its institutional hegemony. It presumes that, since World War II, the U.S. has led a global order founded on multilateral agreements, liberal values, and international institutions, sustained by its tradition of exceptionalism. The study examines how this ideology has shaped U.S. strategic culture and policy-making, reinforcing its dominance across economic, political, security, military, and institutional arenas worldwide. This paper utilizes a neoclassical realist framework to analyze the interplay between global systemic forces and domestic influences in shaping U.S. grand strategy and its institutional hegemony. By synthesizing various hegemonic theories, including realist hegemonic stability theory, liberal institutionalism, and Gramscian cultural perspectives, the study introduces the concept of "Institutional Hegemonic Resilience," emphasizing on the United States' capacity to adapt and sustain its leadership within an increasingly dynamic global landscape. The paper highlights the profound and enduring influence of the ideational features of American Exceptionalism on U.S. foreign policy, demonstrating how this ideological framework has shaped the nation’s strategic approach to maintaining its dominance across economic, political, military, and institutional dimensions. The synthesis of theories on hegemony, brings out the power elements in hegemonic dynamics (as in the Hegemonic Stability theory), the ideational importance of socio-political traditions such as the notion of American Exceptionalism (the Neo-Gramscian perspective) and the vitality of international institutions and the resilience they offer (as in Liberal Institutionalism). The analysis underscores the central role of American Exceptionalism in preserving U.S. hegemonic leadership, illustrating how it enables the United States to effectively navigate shifting international dynamics while reinforcing its global preeminence.