Status Considerations in International Politics and the Rise of Regional Powers

On the Social Status of the European Union

“…Numerous practices in world politics carry notions of social esteem, acknowledgement and recognition. Among the most common are membership in international organizations, visa policies, hosted state visits and diplomatic representation (Duque, ; Hafner‐Burton et al ., ; Volgy et al ., ). In this article I use the exchange of embassies to tap into the relational dynamics of status hierarchies in world politics (Duque, ; Renshon, ; Volgy et al ., ).…”

“…The withdrawal or non‐establishment of an embassy signals that there is no important tie between two countries. In sum, the composition of the diplomatic corps becomes the embodied recognition of a polity's social status in world politics (Duque, ; Renshon, ; Volgy et al ., ).…”

Brazil's Africa Strategy

“…2. Some scholars also refer to Great Powers as "Major Powers" or "established powers" when describing the phenomenon of a group of states that is endowed with special rights and a higher status (see, for instance, Volgy et al [2011Volgy et al [ , 2014 or Narlikar [2013]). As it is common practice in contemporary international relations to use the terms interchangeably, they will also be used synonymously with the term "Great Powers" in this book.…”

Status Competition Between the U.S. and China on the Stage of Africa

“…Honor involves pursuing a code of conduct associated with membership in a club; it may be won or lost but it is not competitive (Larson, et al, 2014, p. 13-16). Volgy et al (2014) claimed that status attribution is bidirectional (states must seek it, as well as receive it) and three-pronged (consisting of self-ascription, attribution by the international community, and attribution by major powers). In order to achieve attribution, a state must have "an expansive foreign policy" to begin with, which will grow with added status and responsibility (p. 4).…”

“…6 Leaders must use limited information to extrapolate the future political situation from current trends in relative capabilities; power today does not eliminate fear of decline in the future (p. 36-42). Further, Volgy et al (2014) saw evidence that structural strength, which is "the strength a major power possesses with which to effectuate the course of global affairs, or for a regional power to create order within its region" was dwindling, even as relative strength increases. This made status attribution even more vital (p. 5).…”