Australia and Canada. Middle powers in a multipolar world or something more?
Australia and Canada. Middle powers in a multipolar world or something more?

Author: Divine S. K. Agbeti

Publisher: GRIN Verlag

Published: 2015-09-24

Total Pages: 20

ISBN-13: 3668054010

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Essay from the year 2014 in the subject Politics - Region: Other States, grade: 73, University of Portsmouth, course: International Relations, language: English, abstract: The term “middle power” has been consistently used in international relations and foreign policy analysis. However, scholars argue that it remains a “deceptively ambiguous” term (Chapnick, 1999, pp. 73-74). Australia and Canada among other nations constantly project themselves as middle powers in the world, and the leaders of these countries always express the significance of their role as middle powers in global affairs. Nevertheless, this paper observes that the term “middle power” is relative because states classified as middle powers in one approach could be small powers in another, and are dependent on their relative capacity to contribute to a given situation. This paper adopts a comparative analysis of Australia and Canada’s foreign policy ambitions, and examines whether either or both countries befit a middle power status on the world stage. Employing Cooper, Higgott and Nossal’s “behavioural” approach, the paper contends that Australia and Canada are middle powers in a multipolar world; taking into account the relative decline of US hegemony and relative rise of China and others such as the BRICS. The paper demonstrates that Australia and Canada’s middle power diplomacies sometimes adopt a coalition-building with other “like-minded” countries as a key feature that distinguishes them from other middle powers. The study is divided into three sections. The first section will establish the meaning and characteristics of a middle power. The second section seeks to investigate the agencies and structures that enable or limit a middle power’s foreign policy ambitions. The final section will conduct a comparative analysis of the middle power status of Australia and Canada.

Relocating Middle Powers
Relocating Middle Powers

Author: Andrew Fenton Cooper

Publisher: University of British Columbia Press

Published: 1993

Total Pages: 232

ISBN-13: 9780774804479

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The fall of the Berlin Wall and the disintegration of the Soviet Union were only two of the many events that profoundly altered the international political system in the late 1980s and early 1990s. In a world no longer dominated by Cold War tensions, nation states had to rethink their international roles and focus more on economic rather than military concerns. This book examines how two middle powers, Australia and Canada, engaged in the difficult process of relocating themselves in the rapidly changing international political economy. The authors argue that the concept of middle power has continuing relevance in contemporary international relations theory, and they present a number of case studies to illustrate the changing nature of middle power behaviour. In particular, they examine the trend towards the amalgamation of the foreign and trade ministries in both Canada and Australia, and the growing importance of regional trading blocs, particularly Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation and the North American Free Trade Agreement. Australian and Canadian roles in the Gulf War are also scrutinized, showing how these middle powers found themselves caught up in the coalition-building dynamic that transformed Desert Shield into Desert Storm. Relocating Middle Powers is the first book to explore the similar ties and differences in the foreign policies of two middle powers in a new era of international relations. Focusing on the ability of middle powers to exercise technical and entrepreneurial leadership on a range of international issues, this book shows how and why middle powers will continue to be important international actors in the 1990s and beyond.

Relocating Middle Powers
Relocating Middle Powers

Author: Andrew F. Cooper

Publisher: UBC Press

Published: 2007-10-01

Total Pages: 249

ISBN-13: 0774853735

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The fall of the Berlin Wall and the disintegration of the Soviet Union were only two of the many events that profoundly altered the international political system in the late 1980s and early 1990s. In a world no longer dominated by Cold War tensions, nation states have had to rethink their international roles and focus on economic rather than military concerns. This book examines how two middle powers, Australia and Canada, are grappling with the difficult process of relocating themselves in the rapidly changing international economy. The authors argue that the concept of middle power has continuing relevance in contemporary international relations theory, and they present a number of case studies to illustrate the changing nature of middle power behaviour.

Rethinking Middle Powers in the Asian Century
Rethinking Middle Powers in the Asian Century

Author: Tanguy Struye de Swielande

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2018-09-27

Total Pages: 411

ISBN-13: 0429873840

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The term "middle power" is conceptually fragile. Some scholars have even argued for abandoning it. This book argues that the concept needs to be analysed more profoundly and that new analytical tools need to be developed to better understand the phenomenon. The traditional approach, based on Western states, is insufficient and has become increasingly irrelevant in a transformed global environment. Instead of drawing from a single theory of international relations, the contributors have chosen to build upon a wide range of theories in a deliberate demonstration of analytic eclecticism. A pluralistic approach provides stronger explanations while remaining analytically and intellectually rigorous. Many of the theory contributions are reconsidering how the largely "Western" bases of such theorising need revising in light of the "emerging middle powers", many of which are in Asia. Presenting a strong argument for studying middle powers, this book explores both the theory and empirical applications of the concept by rethinking the definition and characteristics of middle powers using a range of case studies. It examines changes in the study of middle powers over the last decade, proposing to look at the concept of middle powers in a coherent and inclusive manner. Finally, it aims to further the discussion on the evolution of the international system and provides sound conclusions about the theoretical usefulness and empirical evolution of middle powers today.

Australia and France’s Mutual Empowerment
Australia and France’s Mutual Empowerment

Author: Paul Soyez

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2019-03-25

Total Pages: 300

ISBN-13: 3030134490

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How did France and Australia develop a deep strategic partnership, when only about two decades ago, a group of Australians bombed the French consulate in Perth to protest against French nuclear testing in the Pacific? Which interests, which personalities, which elements of the global context have led France and Australia to engage in a regional and global rapprochement, and what have been the human, economic and political prerequisites which enabled it? This book aims to investigate the dynamics behind this historically ambiguous relationship. More precisely, this study explains why and how France and Australia are currently engaged in a process of strategic and economic mutual empowerment and how this rapprochement has been possible, owing to thirty years of diplomatic efforts to overcome ongoing culturally and historically constructed misunderstandings and conflicts. This book demonstrates how French and Australian foreign policy-makers have understood that, in regard to their numerous common interests, both countries had to mutually empower each other in order to strengthen their own power, regionally and globally. This book argues that these inclusive dynamics of empowerment constitute the response of two diverse middle powers to current global threats and represent a tool suitable for modernising the strategies and practices of both countries’ diplomacies. Soyez’ research is the first to propose an answer to these questions through the development of the French-Australian strategic partnership.

Australian Foreign Policy in Asia
Australian Foreign Policy in Asia

Author: Allan Patience

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2017-12-12

Total Pages: 331

ISBN-13: 3319693476

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This book sets out to discuss what kind of ‘middle power’ Australia is, and whether its identity as a middle power negatively influences its relationship with Asia. It looks at the history of the middle power concept, develops three concepts of middle power status and examines Australia’s relationships with China, Japan and Indonesia as a focus. It argues that Australia is an ‘awkward partner’ in its relations with Asia due to both its historical colonial and discriminatory past, as well its current dependence upon the United States for a security alliance. It argues this should be changed by adopting a new middle power concept in Australian foreign policy.

The Strategic Options of Middle Powers in the Asia-Pacific
The Strategic Options of Middle Powers in the Asia-Pacific

Author: Chien-Wen Kou

Publisher: Taylor & Francis

Published: 2022-06-23

Total Pages: 279

ISBN-13: 1000593037

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This book analyses the responses of middle powers in the Asia-Pacific toward the contemporary great powers’ rivalry of the United States and China, through specific cases studies of South Korea, Australia, Japan, India, Taiwan, and Vietnam. Presenting local perspectives from multiple middle powers as they face the task of maintaining the international order in light of the recent competition between China and the United States, it further develops theories of foreign policy analyses, forming a systematic framework through initiating crucial concepts, including reluctant hedging, economic statecraft, and strategic position-taking. The contributions also provide an in-depth examination of the contemporary geo-politics of the region, including the impact of both the Trump and Biden administrations, Beijing’s “Wolf Warrior” diplomacy, cross-strait relations with Taiwan, and the influences of Japan, Vietnam, Australia and South Korea, revealing that regional middle powers do indeed exert influence on the direction of regional cooperation in the Asia-Pacific. Providing comprehensive studies of many regional powers in the Asia-Pacific, this will be a valuable resource for scholars and students of International Politics, Asian Politics, Asian Studies as well as policy makers on Asia-Pacific relations.

Indo-Pacific Empire
Indo-Pacific Empire

Author: Rory Medcalf

Publisher: Manchester University Press

Published: 2020-03-19

Total Pages: 386

ISBN-13: 1526150778

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This book explains why the idea of the Indo-Pacific is so strategically important and concludes with a strategy designed to help the West engage with Chinese power in the region in such a way as to avoid conflict.