自十五世纪末欧洲各国开辟航路、征服世界以来，史学和国际政治学界已经习惯将军事活动、经济发展、技术演变都解释为国家间相互影响、弱肉强食甚至争夺全球霸权的结果。
This was particularly true in the twentieth century, when, in the wake of two world wars, the United States and the Soviet Union replaced the European world powers on the global stage. The Cold War and the period of US global dominance after 1989/1990 followed this pattern as well.