Aaron M. Zack teaches political science at Baruch College, CUNY.

• Chapter 1: Introduction and MethodologyChapter 2: Dehio’s Theory: The Wars for Hegemony in Europe and Rise of the World PowersChapter 3: Hegemonic War and the Hellenic State SystemChapter 4: The Hellenistic State System and Roman HegemonyChapter 5: Hegemony and Culture: The Italian Renaissance State System and the Roman EmpireChapter 6: Dehio and German Historiography: Interpreting the German Bid for SupremacyChapter 7: The European System and the Western Hemisphere: The Dynamics of Hegemony and PluralityChapter 8: Dehio’s Theory and Contemporary American Grand StrategyChapter 9: Hegemonic War, American Grand Strategy, and the Contemporary Middle Eastern State SystemChapter 10: Hegemonic War, American Grand Strategy, and the Contemporary East Asian State SystemConclusion: The Future of Global Order: Hegemonic Conflict or Concert of Great PowersAfterword: Hegemony, Nihilism, and Decline

Without the Soviet Union, the Cold War’s bipolar formula no longer can reliably serve to define and structure a global state system. Aaron M. Zack is to be congratulated for the instinct that has led him to turn for inspiration to the German historian, Ludwig Dehio. Zack shows himself fully conscious of the richness and complexity of Dehio’s writing. The broad sweep of Dehio’s historical knowledge and the boldness of his speculation summon the imagination of today’s theorists to rise to the challenges of a world without stable hegemonies. We can hope that Zack’s insights are understood and appreciated.