Gravitating Towards Co-Operation: Middle Powers and the Structure of the International System

Abstract

Since the late 1980s, middle power states have been viewed by scholars as countries with a particular tendency towards cooperation, especially coalition building and multilateral engagement. After all, while most middle powers are too small to individually change the international system, their combined weight could, theoretically, outweigh the larger powers. Why then, are there so few examples of significant middle power cooperation? This paper investigates the lack of middle power cooperation, with reference to two self-identifying Asia-Pacific middle powers, Australia and South Korea. This paper argues that the behaviour of middle power states is directly related to the structure of the International System. Cooperation between middle powers will therefore be lower in bipolar structures, and greater in multipolar structures. If the Asia-Pacific region continues to move towards a multipolar environment we should expect to see increasing levels of cooperation between middle powers like Australia and South Korea, with new avenues such as maritime security opening up. On the other hand, if there is a hardening of the bipolar competition between the US and China, this would reduce overall levels of middle power cooperation. Middle powers should therefore work to encourage a multipolar order in Asia to increase their long term influence, and thus capacity to secure their interests and security.