Regional powers and security: A framework for understanding order within regional security complexes
| Author | Robert Stewart-Ingersoll,Derrick Frazier |
| DOI | 10.1177/1354066109359847 |
| Date | 01 December 2010 |
| Published date | 01 December 2010 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
Article
European Journal of
International Relations
16(4) 731–753
© The Author(s) 2010
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DOI: 10.1177/1354066109359847
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Corresponding author:
Derrick Frazier, Department of Political Science, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, 240 Computer
Applications Building, 605 E. Springfield Ave, Champaign, IL 61820, USA.
Email: dvfrazie@illinois.edu
Regional powers and
security: A framework for
understanding order within
regional security complexes
Derrick Frazier
University of Illinois, USA
Robert Stewart-Ingersoll
American University of Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
Abstract
In this article we propose a framework for understanding order within Regional
Security Complexes (RSCs), focused upon the importance of regional powers. We
argue that there are three factors to consider in adequately explaining regional security
with respect to the influence of regional powers: structure, regional power roles, and
regional power orientations. The first factor emphasizes the necessary but not sufficient
attributes of power and capability for understanding regional security dynamics. The last
two factors stress the impor tance of regional power behavior as being critical to the
security process. To this end we highlight three specific roles and sets of orientations
that when examined in the context of structural factors, provide a clearer picture of
security orders in RSCs.
Keywords
constructivism, neorealism, regional powers, Regional Security Complexes
Introduction
In this article we propose a theoretical Regional Powers and Security Framework (RPSF)
focusing on the importance of regional powers in the development and maintenance of
security orders within Regional Security Complexes (RSCs). Security orders within
RSCs, we contend, are driven to a significant degree by three explanatory variables:
regional structure, regional power roles, and regional power orientations. Consistent
732 European Journal of International Relations 16(4)
with RSC definitions and neorealist literature, we infer structure to include the level
and distribution of material capabilities necessary to affect security. Taking into account
constructivist arguments and building from concepts such as foreign policy behavior
and social identity, we define regional power roles in at least three different capacities:
leadership, custodianship, and protection. Finally, we define orientation in three dimen-
sions as they relate to the following regional system preferences: status quo, coopera-
tion, and long-term design.
Two concerns with the current literature motivate our development of this framework.
First, while significant research exists on the effects of structural (for example, Katzenstein,
2005; Stein and Lobell, 1997) and behavioral factors (for example, Neumann, 1992;
Ringmar, 2002), most address these factors separately or stress one at the expense of the
other. Consequently, there has been an emphasis on different sets of attributes with respect
to regionalism and regional security. Neorealists, for example, find the material delinea-
tion of regions and identification of security issues based on traditional security dilemmas
most salient (for example, Mearsheimer, 2001; Rosecrance, 1991). Constructivists, how-
ever, claim that regional formation, whether in terms of security or economics, is based on
a redefinition of norms and forging of common identities through collective institutions
(for example, Adler, 1997; Murphy, 1991; Väyrynen, 2003). Our first value-added contri-
bution, therefore, is to provide an integrated theoretical framework that accounts for both
sets of attributes, as both are necessary to understand regional security formation.
Second, there is difficulty with which past theoretical contributions have adequately
provided opportunities to create systematic, testable hypotheses on how both structural
and behavioral factors affect regional security orders. Our second value-added contribu-
tion thus builds upon the first by providing a coherent manner through which to do so. In
sum, we believe that our regional power approach can help explain the variation in
regional dynamics we empirically observe in RSCs, making it a useful analytical tool for
regional security scholars.
The remainder of the article is organized as follows. We begin with a brief discussion
of RSCs and the importance of regional powers. We move next to a discussion of secu-
rity orders, the outcome of dynamic interactions within an RSC. From there, the next
four sections explore the heart of the proposed framework focusing on regional structure,
regional power roles, and regional power orientation. Here we include a series of brief
case narratives to illustrate the framework, including an application of all three compo-
nents in the case of the Middle East RSC. The article concludes with a recap of the
framework along with a brief examination of how it can be used to examine various
research questions relevant for the study of RSCs
RSCs and regional powers
Work on regionalism and regional security has spanned many decades (for example,
Lebovic, 1985; Solingen, 1998; Thompson, 1973). Recently, however, there has been
little thorough discussion of regionalism in IR beyond political economic concerns and
area-specific security. In part, we agree with Väyrynen (2003) that this is due to the fail-
ure of the dominant neorealist paradigm to give serious regard to the regional level of
analysis. We also agree with Lemke’s (2002: 60) assessment that this is in large part due
to a ‘failure to specify objective criteria for defining regions and sub-systems.’
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