This thesis examines the transformation of the contemporary international order, focusing on the relative decline of American hegemony and the rise of new centres of political, economic and civilizational power, particularly China. It asks whether the world system remains unipolar under US predominance or whether a more multipolar international order is gradually emerging. The central thesis is that contemporary geopolitical, economic and ideological changes indicate an erosion of American hegemony and a redistribution of power among several global centres. The question is approached through historical, sociological, political-economic and geopolitical perspectives, with world-systems theory and cycles of accumulation providing the broader conceptual framework. The historical and ideological development of the United States and China is connected with an analysis of the dollar, China’s economic rise, globalization, and the use of economic interdependence as an instrument of geopolitical pressure. The thesis finds that the United States remains the most important global power, but its relative advantage is diminishing, while China continues to strengthen its economic, technological and political position. At the same time, the liberal international order is becoming increasingly fragmented, while protectionism, regionalization and strategic autonomy are gaining importance. The contemporary world is therefore most likely not moving from American to Chinese hegemony, but towards a more complex and fragmented multipolar system in which power is distributed among several political and economic centres.
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