The concept of hegemony in theories of international relations

Theories of international relations vary from postural to post-postural. But we find that there are some common concepts and issues that have preoccupied international relations researchers of all kinds, including the concept of hegemony.
Hegemony is defined as the superiority of a great state in the international order, so as to put the patterns, behavior and rules followed by some states in the pattern. This definition is not definitive, as the writers of international relations differed in developing a comprehensive definition of the concept of hegemony. Remarkably, there is agreement between realism and liberalism about hegemony. The hegemonic stability theory has common roots between the two theories, although there are some differences that have been explained in the research. There are those who distinguish between hegemony and leadership on the one hand, and those who distinguish between hegemony and control, and the differences between hegemony and command and control have been presented.
The theory of hegemonic stability emphasizes the importance of a dominant presence in the international system, but the difference between realism and liberalism lies in the form of the required power. In the sense that the theory of realism assumes the image of military material power that enables it to impose its control on the states of the international system, with all that this raises with the question of the balance of power in different aspects. Liberal theory, on the other hand, recognizes the necessity of the physical power of the hegemonic State, but the economic power that imposes certain economic norms and rules on States, establishes international institutions and organizations that facilitate international interaction and reduce the chances of international conflict. On the one hand, and on the other, critical theory has contributed to the subject, but from a different perspective, it is the Gramscian perspective of hegemony that adds the intellectual dimension to the subject.
The research ends with American hegemony and the issue of China's rise. The question he raises for many international relations scholars is whether China will escalate peacefully. Will the US allow another pole to rival its dominance in the international arena? Or will China be the new hegemon? Will China's rise provoke a confrontation or a military war between it and the United States? The search tries to answer all these questions through realist, liberal, and critical theories.