Recognising Normative State Action in International Life
| DOI | 10.1111/1478-9302.12090 |
| Date | 01 May 2017 |
| Published date | 01 May 2017 |
| Author | Emilian Kavalski |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
https://doi.org/10.1111/1478-9302.12090
Political Studies Review
2017, Vol. 15(2) 231 –242
© The Author(s) 2015
Reprints and permissions:
sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav
DOI: 10.1111/1478-9302.12090
journals.sagepub.com/home/psrev
605982PSW0010.1111/1478-9302.12090Political Studies Review X(X) Jeffery et al.
research-article2015
Article
Recognising Normative State Action in
International Life
Emilian Kavalski
Australian Catholic University
The study of power is one of the defining features of International Relations. Thus, every generation of IR
scholars undertakes a reconsideration of the concept of power in an attempt to place its own definitive stamp on
one of the oldest conversations in world affairs. What distinguishes current engagements with the consideration of
power is that they are happening in the context of a power transition. It is in this setting that the three books
included in this review both reflect and address the different puzzles attendant in the current re-articulations of the
notion and practices of power in IR. Jiang Qing addresses the ‘what’ of power through a novel assessment of
previously overlooked Confucian insights. Marjo Koivisto engages the ‘when’ of power by drawing attention to the
strategic impact of normative state action in world affairs. Alexander Cooley explores the ‘how’ of power through
a parallel assessment of the strategic competition for influence between the US, Russia and China in Central Asia.
Jiang, Q. (2013). A Confucian Constitutional Order: How China’s Ancient Past Can Shape Its Political Future. Trans. E.
Ryden. Ed. D. A. Bell and R. Fan. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
Koivisto, M. (2012) Normative State Power in International Relations. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Cooley, A. (2013). Great Games, Local Rules: The New Great Power Contest in Central Asia. Oxford: Oxford
University Press.
Keywords: Central Asia; power transition; normative power; recognition; Tianxia
The study of power forms one of the cornerstones of International Relations theory. As
Harold Lasswell eloquently put it, at the end of the day, the study of politics boils down
to ‘who gets what, when and how’ (Lasswell, 1936) – that is, it is about the ability to
produce intended effects. However, while Lasswell’s framing of power is one of the most
quoted in the literature, his emphasis on the relational character of power often remains
overlooked – namely that the ‘intended effects’ emerge in the context of distinct
‘interpersonal situations’ (Lasswell, 1948, p. 10). Such emphasis on the interpersonal
situation of power led Lasswell to conclude that world politics ‘can assume no static
certainty; it can only strive for dynamic techniques of navigating the tides of insecurity
generated within the nature of man in culture’ (Lasswell, 1935, p. 217). Thus, to
paraphrase the popular adage, if two international actors are to tango on the world stage,
their dance is choreographed by the status insecurity implicit in the demand for an
ongoing recognition of the complex power relations that frame the score of the turbulent
rhythm of their footsteps (Kavalski, 2008; 2015).
Not surprisingly, therefore, the centrality of the notion and practices of power in the
disciplinary inquiry of IR have animated some of the most contested debates in the
analysis of global affairs (Barnett and Duvall, 2005; Berenskoetter and Williams, 2007;
Kavalski, 2014; Lundestad, 2012). Thus, every generation of IR scholars undertakes a
reconsideration and probing of the concept of power in an attempt to place its own
definitive stamp on one of the oldest conversations in the field. What distinguishes
POLITICAL STUDIES REVIEW: 2015
doi: 10.1111/1478-9302.12090
© 2015 The Author. Political Studies Review © 2015 Political Studies Association
Recognising Normative State
Action in International Life
To continue reading
Request your trial