Historically, states have appeared nervous of too much concentration of power. At the same time, they have accepted that the great powers must play a special role in maintaining international order. Can both of these tendencies be reconciled? This book argues that hegemony is one way of framing this relationship. On the basis of historical examples, the author presents an innovative scheme for rethinking hegemony, and applies it to the US role in international organizations, in East Asia, and in the policy on climate change. Its urgent advice is that we must live creatively with the balance of power we now face, until such time as it is replaced by something new.