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The National Power of Semiperipheral States

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National Power and International Geostructure

Part of the book series: Contributions to International Relations ((CIR))

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Abstract

In this chapter, the national power of semiperipheral states is analyzed, along with their characteristics and distribution, culminating in the identification of two distinct categories: regional powers and secondary semiperipheral states. Regional powers are extremely relevant actors in the international geostructure. Their prominent position is based on notable material capabilities, allowing them to actively engage in regional governance projects and pursue proactive global foreign policies. Secondary semiperipheral states exhibit more moderate material and immaterial capacities; however, they maintain a significant position in the semiperiphery due to their outstanding semimaterial capabilities. This configuration not only grants them relative regional autonomy but also enables active participation in the international system. We acknowledge that the classifications proposed here may undergo rapid and unexpected changes due to the inherently semiperipheral nature of these states, leading to extraordinary transformations in relatively short periods.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Very broadly, the periphery of the world-system features “the lowest wage levels and nullified or scarce own technological developments, putting the most brutal, stark and extenuating forms of work exploitation in practice, along with the highest levels of poverty and absolute or relative misery, besides the general scarcity of available goods.” (Aguirre, 2003, p. 45).

  2. 2.

    While it can be understood as the ability of local peasants to negotiate with landowners the benefits resulting from crops, it can also be seen as the favor of landowners to guarantee themselves protection against hunger and the social status that represented land position.

  3. 3.

    From the World-System Theory, it is assumed that labor is internationally integrated in a series of production chains. Here the emphasis is placed on “the distribution of the total product, not among factor of production, but among the various nodes of the commodity chain” (Arrighi & Drangel, 1986, p. 16).

  4. 4.

    Immanuel Wallerstein explains that “the activities of the most profitable nodes have tended to be concentrated geographically in a few relatively small zones in the world-economy, which we can collectively call the core zone. The nodes that yield less profits tend to have their units of economic activity located in a more geographically dispersed way, and many of these units are in a much larger area that we can call the peripheral zone” (Wallerstein, 2008, p. 106).

  5. 5.

    According to Martín Krause, institutions are understood as “the rules that allow us to coordinate the actions of individuals in society, which give us predictability regarding the actions of others” (Krause, 2010, p. 90).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of International Studies, Sun Yat-Sen University, Zhuhai Campus, Haiqin 6, Tangjiawan, Zhuhai, 519082, Guangdong, China

    Daniel Morales Ruvalcaba

  2. Departamento de Estudios Ibéricos y Latinoamericanos, Centro Universitario de Ciencias Sociales y Humanidades, Universidad de Guadalajara, Guanajuato #1045, Col. Alcalde Barranquitas, 44260, Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico

    Alberto Rocha Valencia

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  1. Daniel Morales Ruvalcaba
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Correspondence to Daniel Morales Ruvalcaba .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of International Studies, Sun Yat-sen University, Zhuhai, China

    Daniel Morales Ruvalcaba

  2. Departamento de Estudios Ibéricos y Latinoamericanos (DEILA), Universidad de Guadalajara (Mexico), Jalisco, Mexico

    Alberto Rocha Valencia

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Morales Ruvalcaba, D., Rocha Valencia, A. (2024). The National Power of Semiperipheral States. In: Morales Ruvalcaba, D., Rocha Valencia, A. (eds) National Power and International Geostructure. Contributions to International Relations. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-97-1180-2_7

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