Status, imitation, and affective dissonance in international relations
| Date | 01 December 2021 |
| Author | Lloyd Cox,Steve Wood |
| Published date | 01 December 2021 |
| DOI | 10.1177/00471178211010323 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
https://doi.org/10.1177/00471178211010323
International Relations
2021, Vol. 35(4) 634 –656
© The Author(s) 2021
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DOI: 10.1177/00471178211010323
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Status, imitation, and affective
dissonance in international
relations
Steve Wood and Lloyd Cox
Macquarie University
Abstract
This article explores the interplay of status, imitation and affective dissonance in international
relations. Some states and nations selectively imitate others to correct perceived status deficits.
Over time imitation can diminish ideals of group distinctiveness and independence from models
and norm-setters, stimulating a condition we term affective dissonance. This complex of
processes underlies some tensions in contemporary world politics. We apply the propositions
to case studies of Russia and China whose leaders assert themselves as the principal loci and
prescribers of national authenticity.
Keywords
affective dissonance, hierarchy, norms, imitation, identity, status
Introduction
How do political elites respond to perceived status deficits of the states and nations they
represent? What consequences are there? These connected questions serve as the con-
tours of a puzzle about persisting and heightening tensions in world politics for which
materialist explanations may be plausible though insufficient. Put another way, why are
some nation-states, despite their objective economic or military power, dissatisfied with
their global reception and how do they try to resolve it? To address the topic, this article
adopts an interdisciplinary approach that draws on and integrates insights from
International Relations, social psychology, political philosophy, anthropology, evolu-
tionary biology, and neuroscience. It elaborates a novel theoretical model and related
Corresponding author:
Steve Wood, Politics and International Relations, School of Social Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney,
NSW 2109, Australia.
Email: Steve.Wood@mq.edu.au
1010323IRE0010.1177/00471178211010323International RelationsWood and Cox
research-article2021
Article
Wood and Cox 635
argument on the interaction of status, imitation, and a condition we term affective dis-
sonance. While some works point in similar directions, none have combined this precise
triumvirate of concepts. We argue that resort by some nation-states to imitation of others
to improve status can result in affective dissonance. We situate the discussion in a frame-
work of historical and current international political sociology. This design enables us to
set our conceptual and theoretical claims against an expansive chronological background
and apply them to two contemporary case studies. Attempts to mathematically quantify
status are best suited to, or only possible with, experimental research. We do not apply
this methodology here nor consider the defining of independent and dependent variables
as requisite or suitable. Among the measurement problems is which came first: interna-
tional status or the nation-states that desire it? Nonetheless we assume that status is
important to these entities and all are to some degree affected by perceptions about it and
associated attitudes. We address some limitations to the analysis in a later section.
Russia and China are selected as case studies because despite having long histories,
being United Nations Security Council (UNSC) permanent members, and possessing
nuclear weapons, they see themselves as rising, revisionist or ‘resurgent’, with incentives
to challenge the, admittedly infirm, international order.1 Political leaders, militaries,
advisors, and other agencies that support the regimes are the main drivers. Their influ-
ence draws on and manipulates dispositions, desires, and anxieties among their national
publics and divulges their own. A deep ambivalence toward the ‘West’, and especially
some of its prominent constituents, is identifiable. These are resented concurrent to the
coveting of their status, expressed in part through imitation. This apparent antinomy is,
we suggest, of interest for theoretical and practical political reasons.
The article contributes to a prolific corpus of work on status, recognition, prestige,
and respect, which extends to encompass hierarchy, esteem, stigma, and emotions and
affect in International Relations and politics more generally. This range of concepts is an
interrelated cluster. As one or other receives more direct attention, others remain implicit.
This article suggests that imitation of other states and cultures, in many areas and over
long periods, contributes to discontent, sometimes at a subconscious level. We introduce
affective dissonance, a concept which bears a resemblance to ressentiment, and is linked
to those noted above. The article proceeds by outlining a theoretical model. We then
describe the key concepts in more depth. The next section discusses possible alterna-
tives, challenges, and limitations. We then examine the cases of Russia and China before
a conclusion.
A theoretical model
Our theory is summarized in three core propositions. First, as an alternative to violence
– which is not discarded as an option – political elites experiencing ‘status deprivation’,
a feeling that they and the state and nation/community they represent have an inadequate
level of status, on global and/or regional scales, to some extent imitate others perceived
to possess this property. The process pertains to economic, technological, commercial,
educational, iconic, and socio-cultural features of high-status states and the populations
that inhabit them. Nation-states that extend their imitation to political, legal, and norma-
tive change qualify as members of an unofficial club.2
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