Foreign Policy of Middle Powers

Abstract

Abstract Changes in the international political system have given more opportunities for states to seek a more prominent role as a middle power. The contestation of American hegemony and the fragile relations between China, India, and the United States present an external environment that invites states to reconsider their positions. Changes in the nature of power in international politics, both in hard and soft power, have made it possible for some states to seek specific forms of middle power status. This contribution argues that such states may pursue a role as an aspiring global power, a regional power, or a niche power. However, because the search for status in international politics originates from (often competing) ideas of national identity and roles and because the achievement of such status depends on its recognition by relevant other states, an understanding of the choices states make regarding the pursuit of middle power status, requires insights from the scholarship of Foreign Policy Analysis. The argument is illustrated with examples from, amongst others, Iran (regional power), Japan (aspiring global power), and the Netherlands (niche power).