Liberal hegemony’s democratic trade‑off

Expanding and sustaining American global primacy requires discretionary centralized decision‑making and institutional capabilities that can undermine democratic accountability at home. That tension means arguments for 'liberal' empire must reckon with incentive, information, and hypocrisy problems rather than rest on aspirational claims about moral superiority. — Makes explicit the democratic cost side of pro‑hegemony arguments and reframes debates about American power around institutional trade‑offs and governance limits, not just ends.