Exceptionalist Theory in Contemporary American Political Thought
the international and political journal
Abstract
Consequently, the perpetuation of its geopolitical effectiveness is inextricably linked to the extent of its flexibility in restructuring its leadership doctrine. This specifically entails redefining "national exceptionalism" from an acquired sovereign privilege into a functional responsibility that adheres to the imperatives of international stability. Such a structural reorientation necessitates a strategic transition away from the rhetoric of hegemony and hard-power supremacy toward the deployment of attraction-based mechanisms and soft power. Failing this, its cognitive framework risks ideological retrenchment and contraction, which would inevitably erode its international legitimacy and undermine its strategic standing within the global order.
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