Emerging Trends and Methods in International Security Proceedings of a Workshop (2018) / Chapter Skim
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2 Status, Power, and Reputation
2 Status, Power, and Reputation
Pages 7-16
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From page 7... ...
STATUS IN INTERNATIONAL SECURITY Observing that "status" is commonly defined as an actor's position in a social hierarchy, Steven Ward, Cornell University, provided an overview of how this phenomenon applies to states in the context of international politics. He reviewed the way the term is used by researchers, presented some key findings from emerging research in this area, and offered his ideas about future research directions.
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From page 8... ...
Rising powers are especially sensitive to status concerns, he added. He explained that, although scholars do not necessarily agree on the reason for this sensitivity, it has long been understood that unsatisfied status ambitions and disruptive foreign policies are strongly linked.
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From page 9... ...
He anticipates that new experimental work will test theories of status related to individual attitudes and behaviors, and also develop improved quantitative measures of status. He also expects to see more research on the role of status anxiety among regional or middle powers and states facing relative decline, and on the links between international status and domestic politics.
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From page 10... ...
She cited Russia as a current example, suggesting that it is acting as a spoiler because it lacks the military or economic power to overcome the United States, although its leader, Vladimir Putin, perceives the status hierarchy as illegitimate because Russia is not included as a leading power. A third strategy for elevating the status of a state, according to Larson, is social creativity, which can take two forms.
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From page 11... ...
She asserted that examination of the above strategies for challenging international hierarchies demonstrates how international stability depends on two factors. First, if aspiring powers are to continue to believe in the stability of the current status hierarchy, she explained, the United States must maintain its overall superiority.
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From page 12... ...
However, she added, despite recent work on terrorist groups, NGOs, and religious organizations, the influence of violent for-profit organizations and individual nonstate actors on international security has been largely ignored. One method of measuring nonstate actors, Murdie noted, is to count the number of organizations.
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From page 13... ...
Finally, Murdie pointed out that, since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, there has been a steady decline in civil society, by which she meant the influence of NGOs and similar social organizations. States may intend to prevent funding from reaching terrorists through nonstate actor networks, she noted, but some countries are taking the opportunity to restrict even groups that operate on a strictly neutral humanitarian level.
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From page 14... ...
To address the implications of this change, Fry argued, scholars should consider developing theories that take into account multiple types of actors, including IGOs and political parties. She seconded Murdie's suggestion that theories are needed to examine the disruptive effects of understudied violent, for-profit groups, such as drug trafficking organizations.
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From page 15... ...
A final question concerned how status is disputed or conferred among states. A participant wondered whether the status hierarchy could become permeable if a dominant state were to guide a lesser state on relevant issues, and what might be learned about this from the transition of power from Britain to the United States over the course of the 19th and 20th cen
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From page 16... ...
However, she added, more research is needed to answer this question. With regard to British accommodation of the United States, she suggested that the transition of power from Britain to the United States was not necessarily a smooth one.
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