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{{Short description|Type of state}}
'''Middle power''' is a term used in the field of ] to describe ]s that are not ]s or ]s, but still have large or moderate influence and international recognition. There is no single specific definition of which countries are middle powers.
{{Distinguish|Middle Kingdom (disambiguation){{!}}Middle Kingdom}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2021}}
] countries and others present at the ]. Most members of the G20 are middle powers while some are ]s.]]{{forms of government}}
A '''middle power''' is a state that is not a ] or a ], but still exerts influence and plays a significant role in ]. These countries often possess certain capabilities, such as strong economies, advanced technologies, and diplomatic influence, that allow them to have a voice in global affairs. Middle powers are typically seen as bridge-builders between larger powers, using their diplomatic skills to mediate conflicts and promote cooperation on international issues.<ref name="Jordaan 2003 pp. 165–181">{{cite journal | last=Jordaan | first=Eduard | title=The concept of a middle power in international relations: distinguishing between emerging and traditional middle powers | journal=Politikon | volume=30 | issue=1 | date=2003 | issn=0258-9346 | doi=10.1080/0258934032000147282 | pages=165–181| url=https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/soss_research/394 }}</ref>


Middle powers play a crucial role in the international system by promoting ], cooperation, and peaceful resolution of conflicts. They are able to leverage their resources and diplomatic skills to advance their national interests while also contributing to global stability and prosperity. As such, middle powers are an important and often overlooked factor in the complex web of international relations.<ref name="Laurence 2023 p. ">{{cite book | last=Laurence | first=Marion | title=Oxford Research Encyclopedia of International Studies | chapter=Middle Powers | publisher=Oxford University Press | date=October 18, 2023 | isbn=978-0-19-084662-6 | doi=10.1093/acrefore/9780190846626.013.783 | page=}}</ref>
==Definition==
There is no standard agreed method to decide which states are middle powers. Some researchers use ] (GNP) statistics to draw lists of middle powers around the world. Economically, middle powers are generally those that are not considered too "big" or too "small", however that is defined. However, economics is not always considered the defining factor. Under the original sense of the term, a middle power was one that had some degree of influence globally, but not dominance over any one area. However, this usage is not universal, and some define middle power to include nations that can be regarded as ]s.
According to academics at the ] and ];


The concept of the "middle power" dates back to the origins of the European state system. In the late 16th century, Italian political thinker ] divided the world into three types of states: ''grandissime'' (great powers), ''mezano'' (middle powers), and ''piccioli'' (]s). According to Botero, a ''mezano'' or middle power "has sufficient strength and authority to stand on its own without the need of help from others."<ref name="Rudd">Rudd K (2006) , ''Labor eHerald'' {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070627041402/http://eherald.alp.org.au/articles/0906/natp28-01.php|date=27 June 2007|df=y }}</ref>
"middle power status is usually identified in one of two ways. The traditional and most common way is to aggregate critical physical and material criteria to rank states according to their relative capabilities. Because countries’ capabilities differ, they are categorized as superpowers (or great powers), middle powers or small powers. More recently, it is possible to discern a second method for identifying middle power status by focusing on behavioural attributes. This posits that middle powers can be distinguished from superpowers and smaller powers because of their ] behaviour – middle powers carve out a niche for themselves by pursuing a narrow range and particular types of foreign policy interest. In this way middle powers are countries that use their relative ] skills in the service of international peace and stability. Both measures are contested and controversial, though the traditional quantitative method has proved more problematic than the behavioural method."{{Fact|date=July 2008}} <!-- reference broken: http://www.geocities.com/ibsaunb/africadosul02.pdf -->


==History and definition==
According to Eduard Jordaan of the ];
No agreed standard method defines which states are middle powers, aside from the broad idea that middle powers are states that have a 'moderate' ability to influence the behaviour of other states, in contrast to small power, which have 'little' ability to influence. Some researchers use ] (GNP) statistics to draw lists of middle powers around the world. Economically, middle powers are generally those that are not considered too "big" or too "small", however that is defined. However, economy is not always the defining factor. Under the original sense of the term, a middle power was one that had some degree of influence globally, but did not dominate in any one area. However, this usage is not universal, and some define middle power to include nations that can be regarded as ]s.


According to academics at the ] and ]:
"All middle powers display foreign policy behaviour that stabilises and legitimises the global order, typically through ] and cooperative initiatives. However, emerging and traditional middle powers can be distinguished in terms of their mutually-influencing constitutive and behavioural differences. Constitutively, traditional middle powers are wealthy, stable, ], ] and not regionally influential. Behaviourally, they exhibit a weak and ambivalent regional orientation, constructing identities distinct from powerful states in their regions and offer appeasing concessions to pressures for global reform. Emerging middle powers by contrast are semi-peripheral, materially inegalitarian and recently democratised states that demonstrate much regional influence and self-association. Behaviourally, they opt for reformist and not radical global change, exhibit a strong regional orientation favouring regional integration but seek also to construct identities distinct from those of the weak states in their region."<ref name="Jordaan">Jordaan E (2003) , ''informaworld''</ref>


<blockquote>Middle power status is usually identified in one of two ways. The traditional and most common way is to aggregate critical physical and material criteria to rank states according to their relative capabilities. Because countries' capabilities differ, they are categorized as superpowers (or great powers), middle powers or ]s. More recently, it is possible to discern a second method for identifying middle power status by focusing on behavioural attributes. This posits that middle powers can be distinguished from superpowers and smaller powers because of their ] behaviour&nbsp;– middle powers carve out a niche for themselves by pursuing a narrow range and particular types of foreign policy interests. In this way middle powers are countries that use their relative ] skills in the service of international peace and stability.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Hamill |first1=James |last2=Lee |first2=Donna |date=April 2001 |title=A Middle Power Paradox? South African Diplomacy in the Post-apartheid Era |url=http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/004711701015004004 |journal=International Relations |language=en |volume=15 |issue=4 |pages=33–59 |doi=10.1177/004711701015004004 |s2cid=144967878 |issn=0047-1178}}</ref></blockquote>
==Middle power diplomacy==


According to Laura Neak of the ]; According to Eduard Jordaan of ]:


<blockquote>All middle powers display foreign policy behaviour that stabilises and legitimises the global order, typically through ] and cooperative initiatives. However, emerging and traditional middle powers can be distinguished in terms of their mutually-influencing constitutive and behavioural differences. Constitutively, traditional middle powers are wealthy, stable, ], ] and not regionally influential. Behaviourally, they exhibit a weak and ambivalent regional orientation, constructing identities distinct from powerful states in their regions and offer appeasing concessions to pressures for global reform. Emerging middle powers by contrast are semi-peripheral, materially inegalitarian and recently democratised states that demonstrate much regional influence and self-association. Behaviourally, they opt for reformist and not radical global change, exhibit a strong regional orientation favouring regional integration but seek also to construct identities distinct from those of the weak states in their region.<ref name="Jordaan 2003 pp. 165–181" /></blockquote>
"Although there is some conceptual ambiguity surrounding the term middle power, middle powers are identified most often by their international behavior–called 'middle power diplomacy' - the tendency to pursue multilateral solutions to international problems, the tendency to embrace compromise positions in international disputes, and the tendency to embrace notions of ‘good international citizenship’ to guide...diplomacy. Middle powers are states who commit their relative affluence, managerial skills, and international prestige to the preservation of the international order and peace. Middle powers help to maintain the international order through ]-building, by serving as mediators and "go-betweens," and through international conflict management and resolution activities, such as ]. Middle powers perform these internationalist activities because of an idealistic imperative they associate with being a middle power. The imperative is that the middle powers have a moral responsibility and collective ability to protect the international order from those who would threaten it, including, at times, the great or principal powers. This imperative was particularly profound during the most intense periods of the Cold War."<ref name="Bishai">Bishai LS (2000) </ref>


Another definition, by the ] (MPI), a program of the ], is that "middle power countries are politically and economically significant, internationally respected countries that have renounced the nuclear arms race, a standing that give them significant international credibility."<ref name="MPI">Middle Powers Initiative (2004) {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070614193537/http://www.gsinstitute.org/mpi/pubs/buildingbridges_0404.pdf |date=14 June 2007 }}, ''GSI''</ref> Under this definition however, nuclear-armed states like India and Pakistan, and every state participant of the ] ], would not be middle powers.
According to Tomoe Otsuki of the ]; "Middle Power does not just mean a state’s size or military or economic power. Rather, 'middle power diplomacy' is defined by the issue area where a state invests its resources and knowledge. Middle Power States avoid a direct confrontation with great powers, but they see themselves as ‘moral actors’ and seek their own role in particular issue areas, such as ], ], and arms regulations. Middle powers are the driving force in the process of transnational institutional-building." (Soeya Yoshihide){{Fact|date=July 2008}} <!-- reference broken: http://faculty.arts.ubc.ca/tiberg/Poli%20322-2006-Middle%20Power%20Diplomacy.rtf -->
Characteristics of middle power diplomacy include :{{Fact|date=July 2008}} (Soeya Yoshihide)<!-- reference broken: http://faculty.arts.ubc.ca/tiberg/Poli%20322-2006-Middle%20Power%20Diplomacy.rtf -->


===Middle power diplomacy===
*Commitment to ] through global institutions and allying with other middle powers.
According to Laura Neak of the ]:
*High degree of ] penetration in the country's foreign policy.
<blockquote>Although there is some conceptual ambiguity surrounding the term middle power, middle powers are identified most often by their international behavior–called 'middle power diplomacy'—the tendency to pursue multilateral solutions to international problems, the tendency to embrace compromise positions in international disputes, and the tendency to embrace notions of 'good international citizenship' to guide...diplomacy. Middle powers are states who commit their relative affluence, managerial skills, and international prestige to the preservation of the international order and peace. Middle powers help to maintain the international order through coalition-building, by serving as mediators and "go-betweens," and through international conflict management and resolution activities, such as UN peacekeeping. Middle powers perform these internationalist activities because of an idealistic imperative they associate with being a middle power. The imperative is that the middle powers have a moral responsibility and collective ability to protect the international order from those who would threaten it, including, at times, the great or principal powers. This imperative was particularly profound during the most intense periods of the Cold War.<ref name="Bishai">Bishai LS (2000) {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020228031316/http://www.ciaonet.org/isa/nal01/|date=28 February 2002|df=y }}</ref></blockquote>
*A country that reflects and forms its national identity through a 'novel foreign policy': ], Human Security, the ], and the ]


According to international relations scholar ], relationships between middle powers and great powers reveal more intricate behaviors and bargaining schemes than has often been assumed.<ref>], ''The Politics of Attraction: Four Middle Powers and the United States'' (Columbia University Press, 1977).</ref> According to Soeya Yoshihide, "Middle Power does not just mean a state's size or military or economic power. Rather, 'middle power diplomacy' is defined by the issue area where a state invests its resources and knowledge. The Middle Power States avoid a direct confrontation with great powers, but they see themselves as 'moral actors' and seek their own role in particular issue areas, such as human rights, environment, and arms regulations. Middle powers are the driving force in the process of transnational institutional-building."<ref name="Yoshihide">{{cite web|last=Yoshihide|first=Soeya|title=Middle Power Diplomacy|url=http://faculty.arts.ubc.ca/tiberg/Poli%20322-2006-Middle%20Power%20Diplomacy.rtf|access-date=18 May 2007}}{{dead link|date=August 2023|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> At the same time, scholars have identified relations of antagonism and competition between middle powers, as well as their ability to use ] to attain their goals, as in the case of ]-]i rivalry in ].<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Siniver |first1=Asaf |last2=Tsourapas |first2=Gerasimos |date=2023 |title=Middle Powers and Soft-Power Rivalry: Egyptian–Israeli Competition in Africa |journal=Foreign Policy Analysis |volume=19 |issue=2 |doi=10.1093/fpa/orac041 |issn=1743-8586|doi-access=free }}</ref>
In March 2008, ]n Prime Minister ] defined his country's foreign policy as one of "middle power diplomacy", along the lines of similar criteria. Australia would "influence international decision-makers" on issues such as "global economic, security and environmental challenges".<ref name="Shanahan">Shanahan D (2008) , ''The Australian''</ref>


Characteristics of middle power diplomacy include:<ref name="Yoshihide"/>
The ] (MPI), a program of the ], highlights the importance of middle powers diplomacy. Through MPI, eight international non-governmental organizations are able to work primarily with middle power governments to encourage and educate the nuclear weapons states to take immediate practical steps that reduce nuclear dangers, and commence negotiations to eliminate nuclear weapons. Middle power countries are particularly influential in issues related to arms control, being that they are politically and economically significant, internationally respected countries that have renounced the nuclear arms race, a standing that gives them significant political credibility.


*Commitment to ] through global institutions and allying with other middle powers.<ref name="JamesKasoff2008">{{cite book|author1=Patrick James|author2=Mark J. Kasoff|title=Canadian studies in the new millennium|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7_LHcv89nW4C&pg=PA265|year=2008|publisher=University of Toronto Press|isbn=978-0-8020-9468-1|page=265|access-date=24 February 2016}}</ref>
==History of the term==
*High degree of ] penetration in the country's foreign policy.
The concept of the ‘middle power’ dates back to the origins of the European state system. In the 15th century, the Mayor of Milan, ], divided the world into three types of states – grandissime (empires), mezano (middle powers) and piccioli (small powers).
*A country that reflects and forms its national identity through a 'novel foreign policy': ], ], the ], and the ]


The ] highlights the importance of middle powers diplomacy. Through MPI, eight international non-governmental organizations are able to work primarily with middle power governments to encourage and educate the nuclear weapons states to take immediate practical steps that reduce nuclear dangers, and commence negotiations to eliminate nuclear weapons. Middle power countries are particularly influential in issues related to arms control, being that they are politically and economically significant, internationally respected countries that have renounced the ], a standing that gives them significant political credibility.
According to Botero, a mezano or middle power “has sufficient strength and authority to stand on its own without the need of help from others”.<ref name="Rudd">Rudd K (2006) , ''Labor eHerald''</ref>


===Self-defined by states===
The term entered Canadian political discourse after the Second World War. Prime Minister ], for example called ] "a power of the middle rank" and helped to lay out the classical definition of Canadian middle power diplomacy. When he was advocating for Canada's election to the ], he said that while "the special nature of relationship to the United Kingdom and the United States complicates our responsibilities", Canada was not a "satellite" of either but would "continue to make our decisions objectively, in the light of our obligations to our own people and their interest in the welfare of the international community."<ref>H.H. Herstien, L.J. Hughes, R.C. Kirbyson. ''Challenge & Survival: The History of Canada'' (Scarborough, ON: Prentice-Hall, 1970). p 411</ref> Canadian leaders believed Canada was a middle power because it was a junior partner in larger alliances (e.g. ], ]), was actively involved in resolving disputes outside its own region (e.g. ]), was not a former colonial power and therefore neutral in anti-colonial struggles, worked actively in the ] to represent the interests of smaller nations and to prevent the dominance of the superpowers (often being elected to the ] for such reasons), and because it was involved in humanitarian and peacekeeping efforts around the world.
The term first entered Canadian political discourse after ]. ] ], for example, called ] "a power of the middle rank" and helped to lay out the classical definition of Canadian middle power diplomacy. When he was advocating for Canada's election to the ], he said that while "...the special nature of relationship to the United Kingdom and the United States complicates our responsibilities," Canada was not a "]" of either but would "continue to make our decisions objectively, in the light of our obligations to our own people and their interest in the welfare of the international community."<ref>H.H. Herstien, L.J. Hughes, R.C. Kirbyson. ''Challenge & Survival: The History of Canada'' (Scarborough, ON: Prentice-Hall, 1970). p 411</ref> Canadian leaders believed Canada was a middle power because it was a junior partner in larger alliances (e.g. ], ]), was actively involved in resolving disputes outside its own region (e.g. ]), was not a former colonial power and therefore neutral in anti-colonial struggles, worked actively in the ] to represent the interests of smaller nations and to prevent the dominance of the superpowers (often being elected to the ] for such reasons), and because it was involved in humanitarian and peacekeeping efforts around the world.


In March 2008, ]n ] ] defined his country's foreign policy as one of "middle power diplomacy" along the lines of similar criteria. Australia would "influence international decision-makers" on issues such as "global economic, security and environmental challenges."<ref name="Shanahan">Shanahan D (2008) {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080517072447/http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,23437898-2702,00.html |date=17 May 2008 }}, ''The Australian''</ref>
== Current middle powers ==
The following is a list of countries that have been called middle powers by academics or other experts.


=== Growing significance in the 21st century ===
The ] and ] are often considered ] due to strong economies and their status as recognised nuclear powers and their permanent seats on the ]. Some academics also believe that ] and ] are not middle powers but ], due to their economic strengths and global influence. <ref></ref> The overlap between the list of middle powers and great powers shows that there is no unanimous agreement among authorities.
American political analyst ] describes middle powers as "countries with significant leverage in ]" but that are "less powerful than the world’s two superpowers—the United States and China."<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Kupchan |first=Cliff |date=2023-06-06 |title=6 Swing States Will Decide the Future of Geopolitics |url=https://foreignpolicy.com/2023/06/06/geopolitics-global-south-middle-powers-swing-states-india-brazil-turkey-indonesia-saudi-arabia-south-africa/ |access-date=2023-06-21 |website=Foreign Policy |language=en-US}}</ref> Nevertheless, Kupchan argues that middle powers—particularly in the ]—have more power, agency, and "geopolitical heft" in the 21st century (namely the 2020s) than at any time since the Second World War. He identifies Brazil, India, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, and Turkey as leading middle powers and describes them as "swing states" that are capable of creating new power dynamics due to their nonalignment with most great powers.<ref name=":0" /> Among the shared characteristics of these six nations are membership in the ]; large and fast-growing economies; and active diplomatic involvement in major events, such as the ] and international climate action.<ref name=":0" />


Kupchan attributes the emergence of stronger middle powers to several historical developments in the ], including the weaker bipolarity between the U.S. and China (as opposed to the stricter allegiances of the Cold War and the subsequent U.S. hegemony following the ]) and the gradual trend of ], which has fostered regionalized geopolitical and ] relationships wherein middle powers have comparatively greater influence; for example, the fragmenting of the international energy market has purportedly given Saudi Arabia, a major energy exporter, far more weight in now-smaller regional markets. Kupchan also notes the ability of these middle powers to capitalize on rivalries between the major powers in order to further their own influence, interests, or foreign policy initiatives.
]

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==Overlaps between great powers and middle powers==
{{Col-break}}
The overlaps between the lists of middle powers and great powers show that there is no unanimous agreement among authorities.<ref>Mehmet Ozkan. "A NEW APPROACH TO GLOBAL SECURITY: PIVOTAL MIDDLE POWERS AND GLOBAL POLITICS" Perceptions: Journal of International Affairs XI.1 (2006): 77–95</ref>

* {{flagcountry|Algeria}}<ref name="Mace-Belanger">Mace G, Belanger L (1999) (p 153)</ref><ref name="Solomon">Solomon S (1997) , ''ISS''</ref><ref name="Inoguchi">Inoguchi K (2002) </ref>
Nations such as ], ], ], the ], and the ] are generally considered to be ]s due to their economic, military or strategic importance, their status as ] ] and their permanent seats on the ]. Academics also commonly cite ], ] and ] as great powers, due to their large, advanced economies and global influence rather than military and strategic capabilities;<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|title=Encarta – The Great Powers|url=http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761590309/Great_Powers.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040520192843/http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761590309/Great_Powers.html|archive-date=20 May 2004|url-status=dead}}</ref> yet some sources have at times referred to these nations as middle powers.<ref name="European Security After 9/11'">P. Shearman, M. Sussex, '''' (Ashgate, 2004) – According to Shearman and Sussex, both the UK and France were great powers now reduced to middle power status.</ref><ref>Soeya Yoshihide, 'Diplomacy for Japan as a Middle Power, ''Japan Echo'', Vol. 35, No. 2 (2008), pp. 36–41.</ref>
* {{flagcountry|Argentina}}<ref name="Solomon" /><ref name="Wurst">Wurst J (2006) , ''GSI''</ref><ref name="Cooper">Cooper AF (1997) , ''palgrave''</ref>

* {{flagcountry|Australia}}<ref name="Solomon" /><ref name="Patience">Patience A (2004) , ''ANU''</ref><ref name="Hazleton">Hazleton WA (2005) , ''allacademic''</ref>
Some in the field of international relations, such as ] and Roberto Gimeno claim that ] is a great power due to its status and membership in the ] and ].<ref>Roberto Gimeno & Atelier de cartographie de Sciences Po, "La Russie et les grandes puissances (G8 et Chine)" , chart], '']'', No. 27 (septembre–octobre, 2007)
* {{flagcountry|Austria}}<ref name="Solomon" />

* {{flagcountry|Belgium}}<ref name="Solomon" /><ref name="Caplan">Caplan G (2006) , ''SudanTribune''</ref><ref name="Inoguchi" />
</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.g8.utoronto.ca/scholar/kirton198901/kcon1.htm|title=The Seven-Power Summit as an International Concert|website=g8.utoronto.ca}}</ref> Moreover, according to a 2014 report by the Hague Centre for Strategic Studies (HCSS), Italy is listed among the great powers.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.hcss.nl/reports/why-are-pivot-states-so-pivotal-the-role-of-pivot-states-in-regional-and-global-security/150/ |title=Why are Pivot states so Pivotal? |access-date=24 February 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160211162346/http://www.hcss.nl/reports/why-are-pivot-states-so-pivotal-the-role-of-pivot-states-in-regional-and-global-security/150/ |archive-date=11 February 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Although broad academic support for India as a great power is uncommon, some in the field of political science, such as Malik Mohan and Dr. ], consider India to be a great power as well.<ref name=Brzezinski>'''' by Dr. ], pp 43–45. Published 2012.</ref><ref name=MohanMalik>{{cite book|last1=Malik|first1=Mohan|title=China and India: Great Power Rivals|date=2011|publisher=FirstForumPress|location=United States|isbn=978-1935049418}}</ref> Likewise, ] is sometimes referred as a great power due to its economic power and influence,<ref name="Kwang Ho Chun">{{cite book|author=Kwang Ho Chun|title=The BRICs Superpower Challenge: Foreign and Security Policy Analysis|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LgDJNAEACAAJ|access-date=21 September 2015|year=2013|publisher=Ashgate|isbn=978-1-4094-6869-1}}</ref><ref name="Heine1">Heine J (2006) , ''ISN'' {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071007112321/http://se1.isn.ch/serviceengine/FileContent?serviceID=PublishingHouse&fileid=EBFD6763-36B0-7571-5B36-97F6502F60DC&lng=en|date=7 October 2007|df=y }}</ref> with Italy at times being considered a great power due to these factors as well as its cultural power.
* {{flagcountry|Brazil}}<ref name="Solomon" /><ref name="Ferguson">Ferguson RJ (2002) , ''International Relations''</ref><ref name="Heine">Heine J (2006) , ''ISN''</ref>

* {{flagcountry|Canada}}<ref name="Solomon" /><ref name="Behringer">Behringer RM (2005) , ''SAGE''</ref><ref name="Pratt">Pratt C (1990) , ''MQUP''</ref><ref name="Jordaan" /><ref name="Crosby">Crosby AD (1997) , ''JSTOR''</ref><ref name="Petersen">Petersen K (2003) , ''Dissident Voice''</ref>
The following eight countries have at some point in the ] been considered great powers but also middle powers by academics or other experts:
* {{flagcountry|Chile}}<ref name="Heine" /><ref name="Inoguchi" />

* {{flagcountry|Colombia}}<ref name="Inoguchi" />
*'''{{flagcountry|Brazil|size=23px}}'''<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ibsanews.com/pt/eeuu-eespecialistas-reclamam-reconhecimento-do-brasil-como-potecircncia-mundial/ |title=Especialistas reclamam reconhecimento do Brasil como potência mundial. |publisher=IBS News|date=15 June 2011 |access-date=7 April 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.dci.com.br/pela-primeira-vez-brasil-emerge-como-potencia-internacional,-diz-patriota-id293466.html |title=Pela primeira vez Brasil emerge como potência internacional, diz Patriota |date=10 May 2012 |access-date=7 April 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120607101653/http://www.dci.com.br/pela-primeira-vez-brasil-emerge-como-potencia-internacional,-diz-patriota-id293466.html |archive-date=7 June 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://allafrica.com/stories/201109150218.html |title=Brazil – Emerging Soft Power of the World. |publisher=allAfrica.com |date=15 September 2011 |access-date=7 April 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.sidneyrezende.com/noticia/143872+brasil+ganha+dos+estados+unidos+em+influencia+na+america+do+sul |title=Brasil ganha dos Estados Unidos em influência na América do Sul |newspaper=] |date=2 September 2011 |access-date=7 April 2017 |archive-date=20 August 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190820232230/http://www2.sidneyrezende.com/noticia/143872+brasil+ganha+dos+estados+unidos+em+influencia+na+america+do+sul |url-status=dead }}</ref>
* {{flagcountry|Czech Republic}}<ref name="Solomon" />
* '''{{flagcountry|France|size=23px}}'''<ref name="European Security After 9/11'"/><ref name="Ifri_1">{{Cite book|author=Éric-André Martin and Marie Krpata|date=October 2021|title=The Dilemma of Middle Powers: How AUKUS Has Reshaped the Potential for E3 Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific|url=https://www.ifri.org/sites/default/files/atoms/files/martin_krpata_aukus_e3_cooperation_indopacific_2021.pdf|publisher=], Notes du Cerfa|language=en|page=20|volume=166|quote= Countries such as Canada, Australia, South Korea, Japan, India and European powers like the UK, Germany and France can be considered as middle powers.|access-date=8 January 2022|isbn=979-10-373-0432-2}}</ref>
* {{flagcountry|Denmark}}<ref name="Solomon" /><ref name="Behringer" /><ref name="Pratt" />
* '''{{flagcountry|Germany|size=23px}}'''<ref name="Otte-Greve">Otte M, Greve J (2000) , ''St. Martin's Press''</ref><ref name="Sperling">{{cite journal|journal=British Journal of Political Science|title=Neither Hegemony nor Dominance: Reconsidering German Power in Post Cold-War Europe|author=Sperling, James|year=2001|doi=10.1017/S0007123401000151|volume=31|issue=2|pages=389–425}}</ref><ref name="Ifri_1"/>
* {{flagcountry|Egypt}}<ref name="Wurst" /><ref name="Ploughshares">Ploughshares Monitor (1997) </ref>
* '''{{flagcountry|India|size=23px}}'''<ref>{{Cite web|title=Asia Power Index 2021 Edition {{!}} India|url=https://power.lowyinstitute.org/countries/india/|access-date=18 December 2021|website=power.lowyinstitute.org|language=en|quote="The next tier of regional powers — Japan and India — have each lost more ground in 2021 than did China. Both countries have fallen just short of the major power threshold of 40 points in 2021... One result of greater bipolarity is that US allies, such as Japan and Australia, and even key balancing powers, such as India, have never been more dependent on American capacity and willingness to sustain a military balance of power in the region."}}</ref><ref name="Harris"/><ref>Charalampos Efstathopoulosa, 'Reinterpreting India's Rise through the Middle Power Prism', ''Asian Journal of Political Science'', Vol. 19, Issue 1 (2011), p. 75: 'India's role in the contemporary world order can be optimally asserted by the middle power concept. The concept allows for distinguishing both strengths and weakness of India's globalist agency, shifting the analytical focus beyond material-statistical calculations to theorise behavioural, normative and ideational parameters.'</ref><ref>Robert W. Bradnock, ''India's Foreign Policy since 1971'' (The Royal Institute for International Affairs, London: Pinter Publishers, 1990), quoted in Leonard Stone, 'India and the Central Eurasian Space', ''Journal of Third World Studies'', Vol. 24, No. 2, 2007, p. 183: 'The U.S. is a superpower whereas India is a middle power. A superpower could accommodate another superpower because the alternative would be equally devastating to both. But the relationship between a superpower and a middle power is of a different kind. The former does not need to accommodate the latter while the latter cannot allow itself to be a satellite of the former."</ref><ref>Jan Cartwright, 'India's Regional and International Support for Democracy: Rhetoric or Reality?', ''Asian Survey'', Vol. 49, No. 3 (May/June 2009), p. 424: 'India's democratic rhetoric has also helped it further establish its claim as being a rising "middle power." (A "middle power" is a term that is used in the field of international relations to describe a state that is not a superpower but still wields substantial influence globally. In addition to India, other "middle powers" include, for example, Australia and Canada.)'</ref><ref name="Ifri_1"/>
* {{flagcountry|Finland}}<ref name="Solomon" />
* '''{{flagcountry|Italy|size=23px}}'''<ref>"] may be considered one of the most important instances in which Italy has acted as a regional power, taking the lead in executing a technically and politically coherent and determined strategy." See Federiga Bindi, ''Italy and the European Union'' (Washington, D.C.: Brookings Institution Press, 2011), p. 171.</ref><ref>"Italy plays a prominent role in European and global military, cultural and diplomatic affairs. The country's European political, social and economic influence make it a major regional power." See ''Italy: Justice System and National Police Handbook'', Vol. 1 (Washington, D.C.: International Business Publications, 2009), p. 9.</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|author=Marco Siddi|date=October 2018|title=Italy's 'Middle Power' Approach to Russia|url= https://doi.org/10.1080/03932729.2018.1519765|journal=The International Spectator: Italian Journal of International Affairs|language=en|quote=The definition of 'middle power' is contested and has been the subject of controversy among scholars. According to the Italian interpretation of this concept, Italy is a middle-ranking power with limited natural and military resources and one that can only achieve its foreign policy goals by expanding its influence in international organisations and through bilateral relations with larger powers.|volume=54|issue=2|pages=123–138|doi=10.1080/03932729.2018.1519765|s2cid=158301312|issn=0393-2729}}</ref>
* {{flagcountry|Germany}}<ref name="Otte-Greve">Otte M, Greve J (2000) , ''St. Martin's Press''</ref><ref name="Sperling">Sperling J (2001) , ''CUP''</ref>
* '''{{flagcountry|Japan|size=23px}}'''<ref>{{Cite web|title=Asia Power Index 2021 Edition {{!}} Japan|url=https://power.lowyinstitute.org/countries/Japan/|access-date=18 December 2021|website=power.lowyinstitute.org|language=en|quote="The next tier of regional powers — Japan and India — have each lost more ground in 2021 than did China. Both countries have fallen just short of the major power threshold of 40 points in 2021... One result of greater bipolarity is that US allies, such as Japan and Australia, and even key balancing powers, such as India, have never been more dependent on American capacity and willingness to sustain a military balance of power in the region."}}</ref><ref name="Harris"/><ref>Robert W. Cox, 'Middlepowermanship, Japan, and Future World Order, ''International Journal'', Vol. 44, No. 4 (1989), pp. 823–862.</ref><ref name="Ifri_1"/>
* {{flagcountry|Hungary}}<ref name="Solomon" /><ref name="Higott-Cooper">Higgott RA, Cooper AF (1990) </ref>
* '''{{flagcountry|Russia|size=23px}}'''<ref>{{Cite web|title=Asia Power Index 2021 Edition {{!}} Russia|url=https://power.lowyinstitute.org/countries/russia/|access-date=18 December 2021|website=power.lowyinstitute.org|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|first=Iver B.|last=Neumann|title=Russia as a great power, 1815–2007|journal=Journal of International Relations and Development|year=2008|volume=11|issue=2|pages=128–151 |quote=As long as Russia's rationality of government deviates from present-day hegemonic neo-liberal models by favouring direct state rule rather than indirect governance, the West will not recognize Russia as a fully fledged great power.|doi=10.1057/jird.2008.7 |doi-access=free}}</ref>
* {{flagcountry|India}}<ref name="Solomon" />
* '''{{flagcountry|United Kingdom|size=23px}}'''<ref name="European Security After 9/11'"/><ref>{{cite journal|last1=Chalmers|first1=Malcolm|title=A Force for Order: Strategic Underpinnings of the Next NSS and SDSR|journal=Royal United Services Institute|date=May 2015|volume=Briefing Paper|issue=SDSR 2015: Hard Choices Ahead|page=2|quote="While no longer a superpower (a position it lost in the 1940s), the UK remains much more than a 'middle power'."}}</ref><ref name="Ifri_1"/>
* {{flagcountry|Indonesia}}<ref name="Solomon" />
The United States<ref>] (Published 2008), by Professor George C. Herring (Professor of History at Kentucky University)</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Asia Power Index 2021 Edition {{!}} US|url=https://power.lowyinstitute.org/countries/united-states/|access-date=18 December 2021|website=power.lowyinstitute.org|language=en|quote= The United States beat the regional downward trend, gaining points in five Index measures, and overtaking China in two critical rankings: for diplomatic Influence and future resources. But its gains are dogged by a rapid loss of economic influence.}}</ref> and China<ref>{{cite web|last=Muldavin|first=Joshua|date=9 February 2006|title=From Rural Transformation to Global Integration: The Environmental and Social Impacts of China's Rise to Superpower|url=http://www.carnegieendowment.org/events/index.cfm?fa=eventDetail&id=851&prog=zch|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110514102913/http://www.carnegieendowment.org/events/index.cfm?fa=eventDetail&id=851&prog=zch|archive-date=14 May 2011|access-date=17 January 2010|publisher=Carnegie Endowment for International Peace}}</ref><ref name="ChinaFuture">{{cite news|date=19 October 2012|title=A Point Of View: What kind of superpower could China be?|publisher=BBC|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-19995218|access-date=21 October 2012}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=John|first=Emmanuel|date=13 June 2019|title=China: Emerging superpower|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/333759875}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|date=13 November 2007|title=China as a global power|url=http://china.usc.edu/ShowArticle.aspx?articleID=848|access-date=27 August 2010|publisher=China.usc.edu}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Asia Power Index 2021 Edition {{!}} China|url=https://power.lowyinstitute.org/countries/china/|access-date=18 December 2021|website=power.lowyinstitute.org|language=en|quote= The country lost points in half of the Index measures. But this has not narrowed the country's lead over the rest of the region, with lower ranked countries succumbing to their own losses.}}</ref> are considered by many scholars to exceed the traditional criterion of ], or instead to be ]s, and are therefore not listed.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Yu|first=Katrina|title=China-US: Relations fray between the two superpowers|url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/07/china-us-relations-fray-superpowers-200717183321246.html|access-date=21 September 2020|website=aljazeera.com|archive-date=18 September 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200918080259/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/07/china-us-relations-fray-superpowers-200717183321246.html|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Five big takeaways from the 2019 Asia Power Index|url=https://www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpreter/power-shifts-fevered-times-2019-asia-power-index|access-date=9 July 2020|website=lowyinstitute.org|language=en|archive-date=24 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210724203232/https://www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpreter/power-shifts-fevered-times-2019-asia-power-index|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Welle (www.dw.com)|first=Deutsche|title=Many Germans believe China will replace US as superpower: survey {{!}} DW {{!}} 14 July 2020|url=https://www.dw.com/en/germany-china-us-superpower/a-54173383|access-date=30 July 2020|website=DW.COM|language=en-GB}}</ref><ref name="Ifri">{{Cite book|author=Éric-André Martin and Marie Krpata|date=October 2021|title=The Dilemma of Middle Powers: How AUKUS Has Reshaped the Potential for E3 Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific|url=https://www.ifri.org/sites/default/files/atoms/files/martin_krpata_aukus_e3_cooperation_indopacific_2021.pdf|publisher=], Notes du Cerfa|language=en|volume=166|quote=The (US) Department of Defense defined the Indo-Pacific as its "priority theater"...This tilt is an acknowledgment of China's increased role in world economics. China's share in world GDP has risen from 4% in 2000 to 16% today. Since it joined the WTO in 2001 and with the unfolding of the economic and financial crises in 2008–2009, which diminished the West's soft power and economic and financial strengths, China has become the world's powerhouse. This has increasingly led to what may be described today as great-power rivalry between China and the US.|access-date=8 January 2022|isbn=979-10-373-0432-2}}</ref>
* {{flagcountry|Iran}}<ref name="Solomon" /><ref name="Ahouie">Ahouie M (2004) , ''MIT''</ref><ref name="Foreign Affairs">Foreign Affairs Committee (2006) </ref>

* {{flagcountry|Italy}}<ref name="Solomon" />
==List of middle powers==
* {{flagcountry|Japan}}<ref name="Er">Er LP (2006) </ref>
As with the great powers, there is no unanimous agreement among authorities as to which countries are considered middle powers. Lists are often the subject of much debate and tend to place comparatively large countries (e.g. ]) alongside relatively small ones (e.g. ]).<ref name="Solomon">Solomon S (1997) {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150426220103/http://www.issafrica.org/Pubs/Monographs/No13/Solomon.html |date=26 April 2015}}, ''ISS''</ref> Clearly not all middle powers are of equal status; some are considered ]s and members of the ] (e.g. ]), while others could very easily be considered ]s (e.g. ]).<ref name = "CzechJournal">{{cite journal
* {{flagcountry|Malaysia}}<ref name="Ploughshares" /><ref name="Mace-Belanger" />
| last = Cabada
* {{flagcountry|Mexico}}<ref name="Solomon" /><ref name="Pellicer">Pelllicer O (2006) , ''FES''</ref>
| first = Ladislav
{{Col-break}}
| date = November 2005
* {{flagcountry|Morocco}}<ref name="Solomon" /><ref name="Spence">Spence JE (2005) , ''Project Syndicate''</ref>
| title = The New International Role of Small(er) States
* {{flagcountry|Netherlands}}<ref name="Solomon" /><ref name="Behringer" /><ref name="Pratt" />
| url = https://politicsincentraleurope.eu/documents/file/2005_11.pdf
* {{flagcountry|New Zealand}}<ref name="MPI">Middle Powers Initiative (2004) , ''GSI''</ref>
| journal = The Journal of the Central European Political Science Association
* {{flagcountry|Nigeria}}<ref name="Solomon" /><ref name="Mace-Belanger" />
| volume = 1
* {{flagcountry|Norway}}<ref name="Solomon" /><ref name="Behringer" /><ref name="Pratt" />
| issue = 1
* {{flagcountry|Pakistan}}<ref name="Solomon" />
| pages = 30–45
* {{flagcountry|Philippines}}<ref name="Asia-Pacific">Jonathan H. Ping (p 104)</ref>
| access-date = 10 February 2020
* {{flagcountry|Poland}}<ref name=spero/><ref name="Solomon" /><ref name="Kirton">Kirton J (2006) </ref>
}}</ref> Some larger middle powers also play important roles in the ] and other international organisations such as the ]. As a middle power ] has had considerable influence in world affairs through ] in the late 20th century.<ref name="o407"/> Canada is known for its strong commitment to international peace and security and is often called upon to serve as a mediator in conflicts.<ref name="o407">{{cite book | last1=Courtney | first1=J. | last2=Courtney | first2=J.C. | last3=Smith | first3=D. | title=The Oxford Handbook of Canadian Politics | publisher=OUP USA | series=Oxford Handbooks in Politics & International Relations | year=2010 | isbn=978-0-19-533535-4 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5KomEXgxvMcC&pg=PA363 | access-date=May 9, 2024 | page=363}}</ref><ref name="Juneau Momani 2022 p. 131">{{cite book | last1=Juneau | first1=T. | last2=Momani | first2=B. | title=Middle Power in the Middle East: Canada's Foreign and Defence Policies in a Changing Region | publisher=University of Toronto Press | year=2022 | isbn=978-1-4875-2847-8 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=izRjEAAAQBAJ&pg=PT131 | page=131}}</ref>
* {{flagcountry|Romania}}<ref name="Solomon" />

* {{flagcountry|Saudi Arabia}}<ref name="Solomon" /><ref name="Spence" />
The following is a list of 52 countries that have been, at some point in time since the ], considered middle powers by academics or other experts (Members of the ] are in bold font, except for the ] which are attended under a collective membership of the EU):
* {{flagcountry|Singapore}}<ref name="Loo">Loo BF (2005) , ''allacademic''</ref><ref name="Tan">Tan ATH (199) , ''questia''</ref>
{{Div col |colwidth=22em}}
* {{flagcountry|South Africa}}<ref name="Solomon" /><ref name="Pfister">Pfister R (2006) , ''H-Net''</ref><ref name="Jordaan" />
*'''Africa (7 countries)'''
* {{flagcountry|South Korea}}<ref name="Solomon" /><ref name="Armstrong">Armstrong DF (1997) </ref><ref>http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/content~content=a778948388~tab=send</ref><ref>http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=44821</ref><ref>http://www.spfusa.org/program/avs/2008/2008_south_korea_power.htm</ref><ref>http://www.nautilus.org/fora/security/08034Robertson.html</ref><ref>http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,24712289-7583,00.html</ref>
** {{flagcountry|Algeria|size=23px}}<ref name="Wurst">Wurst J (2006) , ''GSI'' {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070614193536/http://www.gsinstitute.org/docs/ClingendaelBrief_Final.pdf |date=14 June 2007 |df=y}}</ref><ref name="Cooper">Cooper AF (1997) {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120306033144/http://www.palgrave.com/products/title.aspx?is=033368186X |date=6 March 2012 }}, ''palgrave''</ref><ref name="Wood">Bernard Wood, 'Towards North-South Middle Power Coalitions', in ''Middle Power Internationalism: The North-South Dimension'', edited by Cranford Pratt (Montreal, McGill-Queen's University Press, 1990).</ref><ref name="Martín">{{Cite web|url=https://atalayar.com/en/content/morocco-and-algeria-struggle-regional-leadership|title=Morocco and Algeria, the struggle for regional leadership|publisher=Atalayar|last=Martín |first=Lucas |access-date=9 August 2020|date=5 June 2020}}</ref>
* {{flagcountry|Spain}}<ref name="Solomon" />
** {{flagcountry|Egypt|size=23px}}<ref name="Wurst" /><ref name="Cooper et al">Andrew F. Cooper, Agata Antkiewicz and Timothy M. Shaw, 'Lessons from/for BRICSAM about South-North Relations at the Start of the 21st Century: Economic Size Trumps All Else?', ''International Studies Review'', Vol. 9, No. 4 (Winter, 2007), pp. 675, 687.</ref><ref name="Ploughshares">Ploughshares Monitor (1997) {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927011548/http://www.ploughshares.ca/libraries/monitor/mons97a.html |date=27 September 2007 }}</ref><ref name="Gilley">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/11/opinion/the-rise-of-the-middle-powers.html |title=The Rise of the Middle Powers |publisher=The New York Times Company |date=10 September 2012 |access-date=18 May 2019 |last=Gilley |first=Bruce}}</ref>
* {{flagcountry|Sweden}}<ref name="Solomon" /><ref name="Rudengren-Gisle-Brann">Rudengren J, Gisle P, Brann K (1995) </ref><ref name="Pratt" />
** {{flagcountry|Ethiopia|size=23px}}<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ethiopia: East Africa's Emerging Giant |url=https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/ethiopia-east-africas-emerging-giant |access-date=2022-03-10 |website=Council on Foreign Relations |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=5 reasons why Ethiopia could be the next global economy to watch |url=https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2019/09/5-reasons-why-ethiopia-could-be-the-next-global-economy-to-watch/ |access-date=2022-03-10 |website=World Economic Forum |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Africa |first=Somtribune |date=2020-08-29 |title=Ethiopia Can Be Africa's Next Superpower |url=https://www.somtribune.com/2020/08/29/ethiopia-can-be-africas-next-superpower/ |access-date=2022-03-10 |website=SomTribune |language=en-GB}}</ref>
* {{flagcountry|Switzerland}}<ref name="Solomon" />
** {{flagcountry|Kenya|size=23px}}<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.eurasiareview.com/21082023-kenya-a-regional-power-in-africa-and-the-indo-pacific-analysis/ | title=Kenya: A Regional Power in Africa and the Indo-Pacific – Analysis | date=21 August 2023 }}</ref>
* {{flagcountry|Taiwan}}<ref name="Asia-Pacific" />
* {{flagcountry|Thailand}}<ref name="Asia-Pacific" /> ** {{flagcountry|Morocco|size=23px}}<ref name="Martín"/>
** {{flagcountry|Nigeria|size=23px}}<ref name="Cooper et al"/><ref name="Mace-Belanger" /><ref>{{Cite book|s2cid=244203245|doi=10.1007/978-981-16-0370-9_9|chapter=Between a Regional Hegemon and a Middle Power: The Case of Nigeria|title=Awkward Powers: Escaping Traditional Great and Middle Power Theory|series=Global Political Transitions|year=2021|last1=Kim|first1=Jiye|pages=221–241|isbn=978-981-16-0369-3}}</ref>
* {{flagcountry|Turkey}}<ref name="Solomon" />
**{{nowrap|'''{{flagcountry|South Africa|size=23px}}'''<ref name=Lechini>Gladys Lechini, ''Middle Powers: IBSA and the New South-South Cooperation. NACLA Report on the Americas'', Vol. 40, No. 5 (2007): 28-33: 'Today, a new, more selective South-South cooperation has appeared, bringing some hope to the people of our regions. The trilateral alliance known as the India, Brazil, and South Africa Dialogue Forum, or IBSA, exemplifies the trend ... The three member countries face the same problems and have similar interests. All three consider themselves "middle powers" and leaders of their respective regions, yet they have also been subject to pressures from 'Emerging Middle Powers' Soft Balancing Strategy: State and Perspective of the IBSA Dialogue Forum. Hamburg: GIGA, 2007.</ref><ref>Peter Vale, 'South Africa: Understanding the Upstairs and the Downstairs', in ''Niche Diplomacy: Middle Powers After the Cold War'', edited by Andrew F. Cooper (London: Macmillan, 1997).</ref><ref>Janis Van Der Westhuizen, 'South Africa's Emergence as a Middle Power', ''Third World Quarterly'', Vol. 19, No. 3 (1998), pp. 435-455.</ref><ref name="Pfister">Pfister R (2006) {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070612022430/http://www.h-net.org/reviews/showpdf.cgi?path=239001176317320 |date=12 June 2007}}, ''H-Net''</ref><ref>Eduard Jordaan, 'Barking at the Big Dogs: South Africa's Foreign Policy Towards the Middle East', ''Round Table'', Vol. 97, No. 397 (2008), pp. 547-549.</ref><ref name="GIGA">Flemes, Daniel, Emerging Middle Powers' Soft Balancing Strategy: State and Perspectives of the IBSA Dialogue Forum (1 August 2007). GIGA Working Paper No. 57. {{doi|10.2139/ssrn.1007692}}</ref><ref name = "MPATROC" />}}
* {{flagcountry|Ukraine}}<ref name=spero>{{cite book |title=Bridging the European Divide |last=Spero |first=Joshua |year=2004 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |isbn=0742535533, 9780742535534 |pages=206 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://en.allexperts.com/e/r/re/regional_power.htm|title=Regional power |accessdate=2008-10-19 |publisher=AllExperts - Encyclopedia}}</ref>
*'''Americas (6 countries)'''
* {{flagcountry|Venezuela}}<ref name="Solomon" />
**'''{{flagcountry|Argentina|size=23px}}'''<ref name="Wurst"/><ref name="Cooper"/><ref name="Wood"/>
{{col-end}}
**'''{{flagcountry|Canada|size=23px}}'''<ref name="Adriansyah"/><ref name="Behringer">Behringer RM (2005) {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071114151026/http://cac.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/40/3/305 |date=14 November 2007 }}, ''SAGE''</ref><ref name="Crosby">Crosby AD (1997) , ''JSTOR''</ref><ref name="Petersen">Petersen K (2003) , ''Dissident Voice''</ref>
** {{flagcountry|Chile|size=23px}}<ref name="Inoguchi" /><ref name="Heine">Heine J (2006) , ''ISN'' {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071007112321/http://se1.isn.ch/serviceengine/FileContent?serviceID=PublishingHouse&fileid=EBFD6763-36B0-7571-5B36-97F6502F60DC&lng=en|date=7 October 2007|df=y}}</ref>
** {{flagcountry|Colombia|size=23px}}<ref name="KYOTO1">{{cite web|url=http://www.disarm.emb-japan.go.jp/statements/Statement/kyoto020807.htm |title=THE UN DISARMAMENT CONFERENCE IN KYOTO |publisher=disarm.emb-japan.go.jp |access-date=13 November 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130116212429/http://www.disarm.emb-japan.go.jp/statements/Statement/kyoto020807.htm |archive-date=16 January 2013}}</ref><ref name="NewDiplomacy">{{cite web|url=http://se1.isn.ch/serviceengine/FileContent?serviceID=PublishingHouse&fileid=EBFD6763-36B0-7571-5B36-97F6502F60DC&lng=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071007112321/http://se1.isn.ch/serviceengine/FileContent?serviceID=PublishingHouse&fileid=EBFD6763-36B0-7571-5B36-97F6502F60DC&lng=en |archive-date=7 October 2007 |title=On the Manner of Practising the New Diplomacy |publisher=The Centre for International Governance Innovation |last=Heine |first=Jorge |access-date=13 November 2015}}</ref>
** '''{{flagcountry|Mexico|size=23px}}'''<ref name="Wood"/><ref name="Cooper et al"/><ref name="Belanger">Louis Belanger and Gordon Mace, 'Middle Powers and Regionalism in the Americas: The Cases of Argentina and Mexico', in ''Niche Diplomacy: Middle Powers After the Cold War'', edited by Andrew F. Cooper (London: Macmillan, 1997).</ref><ref name="Goad">Pierre G. Goad, 'Middle Powers to the Rescue?', ''Far Eastern Economic Review'', Vol. 163, No. 24 (2000), p. 69.</ref><ref name="Pellicer">Pellicer O (2006) {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070614193536/http://www.fes-globalization.org/publications/FES_BP_Mexico_Pellicer_eng.pdf |date=14 June 2007 }}, ''FES''</ref>
** {{flagcountry|Peru|size=23px}}<ref name="balancing">{{cite web|url=https://www.clingendael.org/pub/2018/strategic-monitor-2018-2019/a-balancing-act/|title=A Balancing Act: The Role of Middle Powers in Contemporary Diplomacy |first1=Willem |last1=Oosterveld |first2=Bianca |last2=Torossian |work=Strategic Monitor 2018-2019 |publisher=] |access-date=18 May 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=McKercher|first1=B. J. C. |title=Routledge Handbook of Diplomacy and Statecraft |date=2012 |publisher=Routledge|isbn=9781136664366|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EtCoAgAAQBAJ |language=en|quote=a Middle Power like Peru lack the diplomatic and other resources...}}</ref>
*'''Asia (20 countries)'''
** {{flagcountry|Bangladesh|size=23px}}<ref name="balancing"/><ref>{{Cite journal|title= Bangladesh at 50: The Rise of A Bangladesh That Can Say No|journal= Security Nexus|date= 6 January 2022|volume= 23 - 2022|url= https://apcss.org/nexus_articles/bangladesh-at-50-the-rise-of-a-bangladesh-that-can-say-no/|last1= Yasmin|first1= Lailufar}}</ref>
** {{flagcountry|North Korea|size=23px}}<ref>{{Cite web|title=Asia Power Index 2021 Edition {{!}} North Korea|url=https://power.lowyinstitute.org/countries/north-korea/|access-date=18 December 2021|website=power.lowyinstitute.org|language=en}}</ref>
** '''{{flagcountry|Indonesia|size=23px}}'''<ref>{{Cite web|title=Asia Power Index 2021 Edition {{!}} Indonesia|url=https://power.lowyinstitute.org/countries/indonesia/|access-date=18 December 2021 |website=power.lowyinstitute.org|language=en|quote=Indonesia has for the first time reached a top-ten placement in the Index. Jakarta now outranks Singapore as the most diplomatically influential player in Southeast Asia.}}</ref><ref name="Ping">Jonathan H. Ping, ''Middle Power Statecraft: Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Asia Pacific'' (Aldershot: Ashgate Publishing, 2005).</ref><ref name = "MPATROC" />
** {{flagcountry|Iran|size=23px}}<ref name="Ehteshami">Anoushiravan Ehteshami and Raymond Hinnesbusch, ''Syria and Iran: Middle Power in a Penetrated Regional System'' (London: Routledge, 1997).</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last=Samhat |first=Nayef H. |year=2000 |title=Middle Powers and American Foreign Policy: Lessons for Irano-U.S. Relations |journal=Policy Studies Journal |volume=28 |issue=1 |pages=11–26|doi=10.1111/j.1541-0072.2000.tb02013.x }}</ref><ref name="Ahouie">Ahouie M (2004) {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200517104622/http://web.mit.edu/ISG/iaqfall04ahouie.htm |date=17 May 2020 }}, ''MIT''</ref><ref name="Foreign Affairs">Foreign Affairs Committee (2006) </ref>
** {{flagcountry|Iraq|size=23px}}<ref name="balancing"/>
** {{flagcountry|Israel|size=23px}}<ref name="The United States and the Great Powers" /><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.lrb.co.uk/v28/n06/mear01_.html|title=www.lrb.co.uk}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.acronym.org.uk/dd/dd76/76actg.htm|title=www.acronym.org.uk|access-date=2 February 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304025443/http://www.acronym.org.uk/dd/dd76/76actg.htm|archive-date=4 March 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref>
**{{flagcountry|Kazakhstan|size=23px}}<ref name="balancing"/><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://spectator.us/kazakhstan-struggle-central-asia/|title=Kazakhstan and the struggle over Central Asia|date=5 June 2019|website=Spectator USA|access-date=17 February 2020|archive-date=26 January 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200126123718/https://spectator.us/kazakhstan-struggle-central-asia/|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|url=https://www.insightturkey.com/articles/kazakhstans-middle-power-response-to-terrorism|title=Kazakhstan's Middle Power Response to Terrorism|first=Aidar Kurmashev, Dana Akhmedyanova, Houman Sadri, Akbota|last=Zholdasbekova|date=1 October 2018|journal=Insight Turkey|via=www.insightturkey.com}}</ref>
** {{flagcountry|Kuwait|size=23px}}<ref name="balancing"/>
** {{flagcountry|Malaysia|size=23px}}<ref>{{Cite web|title=Asia Power Index 2021 Edition {{!}} Malaysia|url=https://power.lowyinstitute.org/countries/malaysia/|access-date=18 December 2021|website=power.lowyinstitute.org|language=en}}</ref><ref name="Ploughshares" /><ref name="Ping"/><ref name="Mace-Belanger">Mace G, Belanger L (1999) (p 153)</ref><ref>Kim R. Nossal and Richard Stubbs, 'Mahathir's Malaysia: An Emerging Middle Power?' in ''Niche Diplomacy: Middle Powers After the Cold War'', edited by Andrew F. Cooper (London: Macmillan, 1997).</ref><ref name = "MPATROC" />
** {{flagcountry|Pakistan|size=23px}}<ref>{{Cite web|title=Asia Power Index 2021 Edition {{!}} Pakistan|url=https://power.lowyinstitute.org/countries/pakistan/|access-date=18 December 2021|website=power.lowyinstitute.org|language=en}}</ref><ref name="Buzan2004">{{cite book|author=Barry Buzan|title=The United States and the great powers: world politics in the twenty-first century|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XvtS5hKg9jYC&pg=PR8|access-date=27 December 2011|year=2004|publisher=Polity|isbn=978-0-7456-3374-9|pages=71, 99}}</ref>
** {{flagcountry|Philippines|size=23px}}<ref>{{Cite web|title=Asia Power Index 2021 Edition {{!}} Philippines|url=https://power.lowyinstitute.org/countries/philippines/|access-date=18 December 2021|website=power.lowyinstitute.org|language=en}}</ref><ref name="Asia-Pacific">Jonathan H. Ping (p 104)</ref>
**{{flagcountry|Qatar|size=23px}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://publicdiplomacymagazine.com/middle-powers-squeezed-out-or-adaptive/|title=Middle Powers: Squeezed out or Adaptive?|publisher=Public Diplomacy Magazine|last=Cooper|first=Andrew F.|access-date=12 March 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170629211701/http://www.publicdiplomacymagazine.com/middle-powers-squeezed-out-or-adaptive/|archive-date=29 June 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www18.georgetown.edu/data/people/mk556/publication-61175.pdf|title=Mediation and Qatari Foreign Policy|last=Kamrava|first=Mehran|access-date=12 March 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131007183501/http://www18.georgetown.edu/data/people/mk556/publication-61175.pdf|archive-date=7 October 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref>
** {{nowrap|'''{{flagcountry|South Korea|size=23px}}'''<ref>{{Cite web|title=Asia Power Index 2021 Edition {{!}} South Korea|url=https://power.lowyinstitute.org/countries/south-korea/|access-date=18 December 2021|website=power.lowyinstitute.org|language=en}}</ref><ref name="Harris"/><ref name="Armstrong">Armstrong DF (1997) {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110720011332/http://sc.lib.muohio.edu/dissertations/AAI9728811/ |date=20 July 2011}}</ref><ref>], 'South Korea and Sino-Japanese Rivalry: A Middle Power's Options Within the East Asia Core Triangle', ''Pacific Review'', Vol. 20, No. 2 (2007), pp. 197-220.</ref><ref>Woosang Kim, 'Korea as a Middle Power in Northeast Asian Security', in ''The United States and Northeast Asia: Debates, Issues, and New Order'', edited by G. John Ikenbgerry and Chung-in Moon (Lantham: Rowman & Littlefield, 2008).</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,24712289-7583,00.html |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120912182114/http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,24712289-7583,00.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=12 September 2012 |work=The Australian |first=Greg |last=Sheridan |title=The plucky country and the lucky country draw closer |date=27 November 2008}}</ref><ref name = "MPATROC" />}}
** '''{{flagcountry|Saudi Arabia|size=23px}}'''<ref name="The United States and the Great Powers" /><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0XPQ/is_2002_Sept_23/ai_92080737|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071023220033/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0XPQ/is_2002_Sept_23/ai_92080737|title=Kawaguchi asks Saudi Arabia to put pressure on Iraq Japan Policy & Politics |archive-date=23 October 2007|website=findarticles.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://yaleglobal.yale.edu/display.article?id=4349|title=Saudi Surprise|date=26 August 2004|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040826031056/http://yaleglobal.yale.edu/display.article?id=4349|archive-date=26 August 2004}}</ref>
** {{flagcountry|Singapore|size=23px}}<ref>{{Cite web|title=Asia Power Index 2021 Edition {{!}} Singapore|url=https://power.lowyinstitute.org/countries/singapore/|access-date=18 December 2021|website=power.lowyinstitute.org|language=en|quote= Uneven economic impacts and recoveries from the pandemic will likely continue to alter the regional balance of power well into the decade. Only Taiwan, the United States and Singapore are now predicted to have larger economies in 2030 than originally forecast prior to the pandemic.}}</ref><ref name="FINLAND1" /><ref>{{cite web|url=http://web.isanet.org/Web/Conferences/CEEISA-ISA-LBJ2016/Archive/af8c46fb-30e2-4b6e-8aff-d4d36e0906dc.pdf|title=Middle Powers, Norms, and Balancing: ROK's and ASEAN's Normative Balancing against Rising China|publisher=]|access-date=8 February 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=de Swielande |first1=Tanguy Struye |last2=Vandamme |first2=Dorothée |last3=Walton |first3=Dorothée |last4=Wilkins |first4=Thomas |editor-last=Peng Er |editor-first=Lam |title=Rethinking Middle Powers in the Asian Century: New Theories, New Cases |publisher=] |date=2018 |chapter=Chapter 14: The Singapore paradox: The "little red dot" as a "middle power" |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Qs5wDwAAQBAJ&q=asian%20middle%20power&pg=PT347 |isbn=9780429873843}}</ref>
**
** {{flagcountry|Taiwan|size=23px}}<ref>{{Cite web|title=Asia Power Index 2021 Edition {{!}} Taiwan|url=https://power.lowyinstitute.org/countries/taiwan/|access-date=18 December 2021|website=power.lowyinstitute.org|language=en|quote= Uneven economic impacts and recoveries from the pandemic will likely continue to alter the regional balance of power well into the decade. Only Taiwan, the United States and Singapore are now predicted to have larger economies in 2030 than originally forecast prior to the pandemic.}}</ref><ref name="Asia-Pacific" /><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.smh.com.au/opinion/taiwan-signals-its-readiness-to-join-the-worlds-democratic-powers-20160122-gmbk9b.html |access-date=10 January 2020 |work=the sydney morning herald |first=Bruce |last=Jacobs |title=Taiwan signals its readiness to join the world's democratic powers |date=22 January 2016}}</ref>
** {{flagcountry|Thailand|size=23px}}<ref>{{Cite web|title=Asia Power Index 2021 Edition {{!}} Thailand|url=https://power.lowyinstitute.org/countries/thailand/|access-date=18 December 2021|website=power.lowyinstitute.org|language=en}}</ref><ref name="Asia-Pacific" /><ref name = "MPATROC" />
** '''{{flagcountry|Turkey|size=23px}}'''<ref name="Cooper et al"/><ref>Meltem Myftyler and Myberra Yyksel, 'Turkey: A Middle Power in the New Order', in ''Niche Diplomacy: Middle Powers After the Cold War'', edited by Andrew F. Cooper (London: Macmillan, 1997).</ref><ref name = "MPATROC" />
** {{flagcountry|United Arab Emirates|size=23px}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://nationalinterest.org/feature/the-uae-egypt%E2%80%99s-new-frontier-libya-11184|title=The UAE and Egypt's New Frontier in Libya|work=The National Interest|date=3 September 2014|access-date=26 October 2014|first=Ellen|last=Laipson}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gevans.org/speeches/speech441.html|title=Middle Power Diplomacy|first=Gareth|last=Evans|date=29 June 2011|access-date=26 October 2014}}</ref>
** {{flagcountry|Vietnam|size=23px}}<ref>{{Cite web|title=Asia Power Index 2021 Edition {{!}} Vietnam|url=https://power.lowyinstitute.org/countries/vietnam/|access-date=18 December 2021|website=power.lowyinstitute.org|language=en|quote= "Three middle powers — Vietnam, Australia and Taiwan — were the only countries to gain in comprehensive power in 2020. When neither the United States nor China can establish undisputed primacy in Asia, the actions and choices of middle powers will become more consequential."}}</ref><ref name="balancing"/><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://thediplomat.com/2019/08/middle-powers-joining-together-the-case-of-vietnam-and-australia/|title=Middle Powers, Joining Together: The Case of Vietnam and Australia}}</ref>
*'''Europe (17 countries)'''
** {{flagcountry|Austria|size=23px}}<ref name = "HCSSABalancingAct">{{cite web|url=https://www.hcss.nl/pub/2018/strategic-monitor-2018-2019/a-balancing-act/|title=A Balancing Act: The Role of Middle Powers in Contemporary Diplomacy|publisher=The Hague Center for Strategic Studies|access-date=8 February 2020|archive-date=10 June 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200610112410/https://www.hcss.nl/pub/2018/strategic-monitor-2018-2019/a-balancing-act/|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="Wood"/><ref>{{cite book
|last=Lauber
|first=Volkmar
|date=17 September 2019
|title=Contemporary Austrian Politics
|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1U2wDwAAQBAJ&q=austria%20middle%20power&pg=PT150
|publisher=]
|isbn=9780429720987
}}</ref><ref name = "MPATROC" /><ref name = "StuckInMiddleGear">{{cite book
|last=Taylor
|first=Ian
|date=2001
|title=Stuck in Middle GEAR: South Africa's Post-apartheid Foreign Relations
|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3tfjkiq0b7sC&q=romania+middle+power&pg=PA19
|location=]
|publisher=]
|page= 19
|isbn=9780275972752
}}</ref>
** {{flagcountry|Belgium|size=23px}}<ref name="Solomon" /><ref name="Inoguchi">Inoguchi K (2002) {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929122633/http://www.disarm.emb-japan.go.jp/statements/Statement/kyoto020807.htm |date=29 September 2007 |df=y}}</ref><ref name="Caplan">Caplan G (2006) , ''SudanTribune''</ref><ref name = "StuckInMiddleGear" />
** {{flagcountry|Croatia|size=23px}}<ref name="Behringer" /><ref name="Pratt" />
** {{flagcountry|Czech Republic|size=23px}}<ref name = "CzechJournal" /><ref name = "HCSSABalancingAct" /><ref>{{cite journal
| last = John
| first = Ravenhill
| date = 1988
| title = Cycles of middle power activism: Constraint andchoice in Australian and Canadian foreign policies
| url = http://www.internationalaffairs.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Cycles-of-middle-power-activism-Constraint-and-choice-in-Australian-and-Canadian-foreign-policies.pdf
| journal = Australian Journal of International Affairs
| volume = 52
| issue = 3
| pages = 309–327
| doi = 10.1080/10357719808445259
| access-date = 10 February 2020
}}</ref>
** {{flagcountry|Denmark|size=23px}}<ref name="Behringer"/><ref name="Pratt">Pratt C (1990) , ''MQUP''</ref>
** {{flagcountry|Finland|size=23px}}<ref name="FINLAND1">{{cite journal|url=https://www.academia.edu/7493871|title=The Concept of Middle Power |publisher=] |access-date=8 February 2020|last1=Schweller |first1=Randall }}</ref><ref name = "HCSSABalancingAct" /><ref name = "WSITIS">{{cite book |last=I. Handel |first=Michael |date=1990 |title=Weak States in the International System |pages=28 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sOELm3YduxQC&q=finland%20middle%20power&pg=PA28 |publisher=] |isbn=9780714640730}}</ref>
** {{flagcountry|Greece|size=23px}}<ref name="Thanos-Veremēs">Thanos Veremēs (1997) "Black Rose Books"</ref>
** {{flagcountry|Hungary|size=23px}}<ref name="Higott-Cooper">Higgott RA, Cooper AF (1990) </ref>
** {{flagcountry|Ireland|size=23px}}<ref>{{cite book
|last=Pratt
|first=Cranford
|date=1990
|title=Middle Power Internationalism: The North-South Dimension
|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eaLmKPmFnLgC&q=ireland+middle+power&pg=PA32
|location=]
|publisher=]
|page= 32
|isbn=9780773507258
}}</ref><ref>{{cite book
|last1=Tonra
|first1=Ben
|last2=Ward
|first2=Eilís
|date=2002
|title=Ireland in International Affairs: Interests, Institutions and Identities
|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fFicRmV_LcIC&q=ireland%20middle%20power&pg=PA20
|chapter=Chapter 1: Ireland, Peacekeeping and Defence Policy: Challenges and Opportunities
|editor1-last=Murphy
|editor1-first=Ray
|location=], ]
|publisher=]
|pages= 20–21
|isbn=9781902448763
}}</ref><ref>{{cite news
| last = Gillespie
| first = Paul
| date = 17 January 2015
| title = Representing Ireland – multitasking in a multilateral world
| url = https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/representing-ireland-multitasking-in-a-multilateral-world-1.2068867
| newspaper = ]
| access-date = 8 February 2020
}}</ref><ref>{{cite book
|last=Ishizuka
|first=Katsumi
|date=23 April 2014
|title=Ireland and International Peacekeeping Operations 1960-2000
|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CSxpAwAAQBAJ&q=ireland%20middle%20power&pg=PA136
|chapter=Four: Ireland's peacekeeping policy in the post-Cold War era
|publisher=]
|page= 136
|isbn=9781135295264
}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal
|title=The Role of Middle Power–NGO Coalitions in Global Policy: The Case of the Cluster Munitions Ban
|last1=Bolton
|first1=Matthew
|last2=Nash
|first2=Thomas
|journal=Global Policy
|date=7 May 2010
|volume=1
|issue=2
|pages=172–184
|publisher=]
|doi=10.1111/j.1758-5899.2009.00015.x
|doi-access=free
}}</ref>
** {{flagcountry|Netherlands|size=23px}}<ref name="Behringer" /><ref name="Pratt" />
** {{flagcountry|Norway|size=23px}}<ref name="Behringer" /><ref name="Pratt" />
** {{flagcountry|Poland|size=23px}}<ref name="Goad"/><ref name=spero/><ref name="Kirton">Kirton J (2006) </ref>
** {{flagcountry|Portugal|size=23px}}<ref name="balancing"/><ref name="Lacoste">according to Yves Lacoste, ''Géopolitique'', Larousse, 2009, p. 134, both Spain and Portugal exert a real influence in Africa and in the Americas.</ref>
** {{flagcountry|Romania|size=23px}}<ref name = "HCSSABalancingAct" /><ref name="Wood"/><ref name = "WSITIS" /><ref name = "StuckInMiddleGear" /><ref name = "TurkishPolicyQuarterly">{{cite book
|date=2005
|title=Turkish Policy Quarterly, Volume 4
|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1TktAQAAIAAJ&q=romania+middle+power
|location=]
|publisher=Big Art
}}</ref><ref>{{cite book
|last=Wood
|first=Bernald
|date=1 June 1988
|title=The middle powers and the general interest
|url=https://archive.org/details/middlepowersgene0000wood
|url-access=registration
|location=]
|publisher=]
|page= <!-- or pages= -->
|isbn=9780920494813
}}</ref>
** {{flagcountry|Spain|size=23px}}<ref name="Lacoste"/>
** {{flagcountry|Sweden|size=23px}}<ref name="The United States and the Great Powers"/><ref name="Pratt" /><ref name="Rudengren-Gisle-Brann">Rudengren J, Gisle P, Brann K (1995) {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070422131920/http://www.nsi-ins.ca/english/publications/multilateral/sweden.asp |date=22 April 2007 }}</ref>
** {{flagcountry|Switzerland}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.issafrica.org/Pubs/Monographs/No13/Solomon.html|title=South African Foreign Policy and Middle Power Leadership - Fairy God-mother, Hegemon or Partner? In Search of a South African Foreign Policy - Monograph No 13, 1997|date=26 April 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150426220103/http://www.issafrica.org/Pubs/Monographs/No13/Solomon.html|archive-date=26 April 2015}}</ref>
** {{flagcountry|Ukraine|size=23px}}<ref name = "TurkishPolicyQuarterly" /><ref name=spero>{{Cite book|title=Bridging the European Divide |last=Spero |first=Joshua |year=2004 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |isbn=9780742535534 |page=206 }}</ref>
*'''Oceania (2 countries)'''
** '''{{flagcountry|Australia|size=23px}}'''<ref>{{Cite web|title=Asia Power Index 2021 Edition {{!}} Australia|url=https://power.lowyinstitute.org/countries/australia/|access-date=18 December 2021|website=power.lowyinstitute.org|language=en|quote= "Three middle powers — Vietnam, Australia and Taiwan — were the only countries to gain in comprehensive power in 2020. When neither the United States nor China can establish undisputed primacy in Asia, the actions and choices of middle powers will become more consequential."}}</ref><ref name="Harris">Tobias Harris, 'Japan Accepts its "Middle-Power" Fate'. ''Far Eastern Economic Review'' Vol. 171, No. 6 (2008), p. 45: 'Japan is settling into a position as a middle power in Asia, sitting uneasily between the U.S., its security ally, and China, its most important economic partner. In this it finds itself in a situation similar to Australia, India, South Korea and the members of Asean.'</ref><ref name="Adriansyah">Yasmi Adriansyah, 'Questioning Indonesia's place in the world', ''Asia Times'' (20 September 2011): 'Countries often categorized as middle power (MP) include Australia, Canada and Japan. The reasons for this categorization are the nations' advanced political-economic stature as well as their significant contribution to international cooperation and development. India and Brazil have recently become considered middle powers because of their rise in the global arena—particularly with the emerging notion of BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China).'</ref><ref name="The United States and the Great Powers">{{Cite book|last=Buzan |first=Barry |title=The United States and the Great Powers |publisher=Polity Press |year=2004 |location=Cambridge, United Kingdom |page=71 |isbn=0-7456-3375-7}}</ref><ref name="Hazleton">Hazleton WA (2005) {{dead link|date=August 2023|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}, ''allacademic''</ref><ref name = "MPATROC">{{cite book
|last1=Gilley
|first1=Bruce
|last2=O'Neil
|first2=Andrew
|date=8 July 2014
|title=Middle Powers and the Rise of China
|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WVQ7BAAAQBAJ&q=austria%20middle%20power&pg=PA30
|publisher=]
|page=30
|isbn=9781626160842
}}</ref>
** {{flagcountry|New Zealand|size=23px}}<ref>{{Cite web|title=Asia Power Index 2021 Edition {{!}} New Zealand|url=https://power.lowyinstitute.org/countries/new-zealand/|access-date=18 December 2021|website=power.lowyinstitute.org|language=en}}</ref><ref name="MPI"/>{{Div col end}}


==See also== ==See also==
{{Portal|Politics}}
{{International power}}
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]

==References== ==References==
{{reflist|2}} {{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* (by Enrico Fels (]))
* (By Michael I. Handel)
* {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051224142257/http://www.ubcpress.ubc.ca/search/title_book.asp?BookID=442 |date=24 December 2005 }} (Book info)
* (Book info)
* (A Queen's Centre for International Relations annual report)


==External links== ==External links==
* {{Britannica|381411}}
* *


{{International power|state=expanded}}
==Further Reading==
{{Authority control}}
* Weak States in the International System. By Michael I. Handel.
*
*
* (Book info)
* , a Queen’s Centre for International Relations annual report

{{International power}}
]


{{DEFAULTSORT:Middle Power}}
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Latest revision as of 12:51, 14 December 2024

Type of state Not to be confused with Middle Kingdom.

Leaders of the G20 countries and others present at the 2008 G-20 Washington summit. Most members of the G20 are middle powers while some are great powers.
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A middle power is a state that is not a superpower or a great power, but still exerts influence and plays a significant role in international relations. These countries often possess certain capabilities, such as strong economies, advanced technologies, and diplomatic influence, that allow them to have a voice in global affairs. Middle powers are typically seen as bridge-builders between larger powers, using their diplomatic skills to mediate conflicts and promote cooperation on international issues.

Middle powers play a crucial role in the international system by promoting multilateralism, cooperation, and peaceful resolution of conflicts. They are able to leverage their resources and diplomatic skills to advance their national interests while also contributing to global stability and prosperity. As such, middle powers are an important and often overlooked factor in the complex web of international relations.

The concept of the "middle power" dates back to the origins of the European state system. In the late 16th century, Italian political thinker Giovanni Botero divided the world into three types of states: grandissime (great powers), mezano (middle powers), and piccioli (small powers). According to Botero, a mezano or middle power "has sufficient strength and authority to stand on its own without the need of help from others."

History and definition

No agreed standard method defines which states are middle powers, aside from the broad idea that middle powers are states that have a 'moderate' ability to influence the behaviour of other states, in contrast to small power, which have 'little' ability to influence. Some researchers use Gross National Product (GNP) statistics to draw lists of middle powers around the world. Economically, middle powers are generally those that are not considered too "big" or too "small", however that is defined. However, economy is not always the defining factor. Under the original sense of the term, a middle power was one that had some degree of influence globally, but did not dominate in any one area. However, this usage is not universal, and some define middle power to include nations that can be regarded as regional powers.

According to academics at the University of Leicester and University of Nottingham:

Middle power status is usually identified in one of two ways. The traditional and most common way is to aggregate critical physical and material criteria to rank states according to their relative capabilities. Because countries' capabilities differ, they are categorized as superpowers (or great powers), middle powers or small powers. More recently, it is possible to discern a second method for identifying middle power status by focusing on behavioural attributes. This posits that middle powers can be distinguished from superpowers and smaller powers because of their foreign policy behaviour – middle powers carve out a niche for themselves by pursuing a narrow range and particular types of foreign policy interests. In this way middle powers are countries that use their relative diplomatic skills in the service of international peace and stability.

According to Eduard Jordaan of Singapore Management University:

All middle powers display foreign policy behaviour that stabilises and legitimises the global order, typically through multilateral and cooperative initiatives. However, emerging and traditional middle powers can be distinguished in terms of their mutually-influencing constitutive and behavioural differences. Constitutively, traditional middle powers are wealthy, stable, egalitarian, social democratic and not regionally influential. Behaviourally, they exhibit a weak and ambivalent regional orientation, constructing identities distinct from powerful states in their regions and offer appeasing concessions to pressures for global reform. Emerging middle powers by contrast are semi-peripheral, materially inegalitarian and recently democratised states that demonstrate much regional influence and self-association. Behaviourally, they opt for reformist and not radical global change, exhibit a strong regional orientation favouring regional integration but seek also to construct identities distinct from those of the weak states in their region.

Another definition, by the Middle Powers Initiative (MPI), a program of the Global Security Institute, is that "middle power countries are politically and economically significant, internationally respected countries that have renounced the nuclear arms race, a standing that give them significant international credibility." Under this definition however, nuclear-armed states like India and Pakistan, and every state participant of the NATO nuclear sharing, would not be middle powers.

Middle power diplomacy

According to Laura Neak of the International Studies Association:

Although there is some conceptual ambiguity surrounding the term middle power, middle powers are identified most often by their international behavior–called 'middle power diplomacy'—the tendency to pursue multilateral solutions to international problems, the tendency to embrace compromise positions in international disputes, and the tendency to embrace notions of 'good international citizenship' to guide...diplomacy. Middle powers are states who commit their relative affluence, managerial skills, and international prestige to the preservation of the international order and peace. Middle powers help to maintain the international order through coalition-building, by serving as mediators and "go-betweens," and through international conflict management and resolution activities, such as UN peacekeeping. Middle powers perform these internationalist activities because of an idealistic imperative they associate with being a middle power. The imperative is that the middle powers have a moral responsibility and collective ability to protect the international order from those who would threaten it, including, at times, the great or principal powers. This imperative was particularly profound during the most intense periods of the Cold War.

According to international relations scholar Annette Baker Fox, relationships between middle powers and great powers reveal more intricate behaviors and bargaining schemes than has often been assumed. According to Soeya Yoshihide, "Middle Power does not just mean a state's size or military or economic power. Rather, 'middle power diplomacy' is defined by the issue area where a state invests its resources and knowledge. The Middle Power States avoid a direct confrontation with great powers, but they see themselves as 'moral actors' and seek their own role in particular issue areas, such as human rights, environment, and arms regulations. Middle powers are the driving force in the process of transnational institutional-building." At the same time, scholars have identified relations of antagonism and competition between middle powers, as well as their ability to use soft power to attain their goals, as in the case of Egypt-Israeli rivalry in Africa.

Characteristics of middle power diplomacy include:

The Middle Powers Initiative highlights the importance of middle powers diplomacy. Through MPI, eight international non-governmental organizations are able to work primarily with middle power governments to encourage and educate the nuclear weapons states to take immediate practical steps that reduce nuclear dangers, and commence negotiations to eliminate nuclear weapons. Middle power countries are particularly influential in issues related to arms control, being that they are politically and economically significant, internationally respected countries that have renounced the nuclear arms race, a standing that gives them significant political credibility.

Self-defined by states

The term first entered Canadian political discourse after World War II. Prime Minister Louis St. Laurent, for example, called Canada "a power of the middle rank" and helped to lay out the classical definition of Canadian middle power diplomacy. When he was advocating for Canada's election to the United Nations Security Council, he said that while "...the special nature of relationship to the United Kingdom and the United States complicates our responsibilities," Canada was not a "satellite" of either but would "continue to make our decisions objectively, in the light of our obligations to our own people and their interest in the welfare of the international community." Canadian leaders believed Canada was a middle power because it was a junior partner in larger alliances (e.g. NATO, NORAD), was actively involved in resolving disputes outside its own region (e.g. Suez Crisis), was not a former colonial power and therefore neutral in anti-colonial struggles, worked actively in the United Nations to represent the interests of smaller nations and to prevent the dominance of the superpowers (often being elected to the United Nations Security Council for such reasons), and because it was involved in humanitarian and peacekeeping efforts around the world.

In March 2008, Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd defined his country's foreign policy as one of "middle power diplomacy" along the lines of similar criteria. Australia would "influence international decision-makers" on issues such as "global economic, security and environmental challenges."

Growing significance in the 21st century

American political analyst Cliff Kupchan describes middle powers as "countries with significant leverage in geopolitics" but that are "less powerful than the world’s two superpowers—the United States and China." Nevertheless, Kupchan argues that middle powers—particularly in the Global South—have more power, agency, and "geopolitical heft" in the 21st century (namely the 2020s) than at any time since the Second World War. He identifies Brazil, India, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, and Turkey as leading middle powers and describes them as "swing states" that are capable of creating new power dynamics due to their nonalignment with most great powers. Among the shared characteristics of these six nations are membership in the G20; large and fast-growing economies; and active diplomatic involvement in major events, such as the Russian invasion of Ukraine and international climate action.

Kupchan attributes the emergence of stronger middle powers to several historical developments in the international system, including the weaker bipolarity between the U.S. and China (as opposed to the stricter allegiances of the Cold War and the subsequent U.S. hegemony following the collapse of the Soviet Union) and the gradual trend of deglobalization, which has fostered regionalized geopolitical and geoeconomic relationships wherein middle powers have comparatively greater influence; for example, the fragmenting of the international energy market has purportedly given Saudi Arabia, a major energy exporter, far more weight in now-smaller regional markets. Kupchan also notes the ability of these middle powers to capitalize on rivalries between the major powers in order to further their own influence, interests, or foreign policy initiatives.

Overlaps between great powers and middle powers

The overlaps between the lists of middle powers and great powers show that there is no unanimous agreement among authorities.

Nations such as China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States are generally considered to be great powers due to their economic, military or strategic importance, their status as recognized nuclear powers and their permanent seats on the United Nations Security Council. Academics also commonly cite Germany, India and Japan as great powers, due to their large, advanced economies and global influence rather than military and strategic capabilities; yet some sources have at times referred to these nations as middle powers.

Some in the field of international relations, such as John Kirton and Roberto Gimeno claim that Italy is a great power due to its status and membership in the G7 and NATO Quint. Moreover, according to a 2014 report by the Hague Centre for Strategic Studies (HCSS), Italy is listed among the great powers. Although broad academic support for India as a great power is uncommon, some in the field of political science, such as Malik Mohan and Dr. Zbigniew Brzezinski, consider India to be a great power as well. Likewise, Brazil is sometimes referred as a great power due to its economic power and influence, with Italy at times being considered a great power due to these factors as well as its cultural power.

The following eight countries have at some point in the post–Cold War era been considered great powers but also middle powers by academics or other experts:

The United States and China are considered by many scholars to exceed the traditional criterion of great power, or instead to be superpowers, and are therefore not listed.

List of middle powers

As with the great powers, there is no unanimous agreement among authorities as to which countries are considered middle powers. Lists are often the subject of much debate and tend to place comparatively large countries (e.g. Argentina) alongside relatively small ones (e.g. Norway). Clearly not all middle powers are of equal status; some are considered regional powers and members of the G20 (e.g. Australia), while others could very easily be considered small powers (e.g. Czech Republic). Some larger middle powers also play important roles in the United Nations and other international organisations such as the WTO. As a middle power Canada has had considerable influence in world affairs through its peacekeeping efforts in the late 20th century. Canada is known for its strong commitment to international peace and security and is often called upon to serve as a mediator in conflicts.

The following is a list of 52 countries that have been, at some point in time since the post–Cold War era, considered middle powers by academics or other experts (Members of the G-20 major economies are in bold font, except for the EU member states which are attended under a collective membership of the EU):

See also

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