Regional power

Leaders of some regional powers during the G8 meeting.

In international relations, a regional power is a state that has power within a geographic region.^[1][2] States which wield unrivaled power and influence within a region of the world possess regional hegemony.

Characteristics

Regional powers shape the polarity of a regional area. Typically, regional powers have capabilities which are important in the region but do not have capabilities at a global scale. There are slightly differing definitions of what makes a regional power. The European Consortium for Political Research defines a regional power: "A state belonging to a geographically defined region, dominating this region in economic and military terms, able to exercise hegemonic influence in the region and considerable influence on the world scale, willing to make use of power resources and recognized or even accepted as the regional leader by its neighbours".^[1]

The German Institute of Global and Area Studies states that a regional power must:

• be part of a definable region with its own identity
• claim to be a regional power (self-image of a regional power)
• exert decisive influence on the geographic extension of the region as well as on its ideological construction
• dispose over comparatively high military, economic, demographic, political and ideological capabilities
• be well integrated into the region
• define the regional security agenda to a high degree
• be appreciated as a regional power by other powers in the region and beyond, especially by other regional powers
• be well connected with regional and global fora.^[2]

Current regional powers

Major regional powers in teal, and minor regional powers in light teal

Below are states that have been described as regional powers by international relations and political science academics, analysts, or other experts. These states to some extent meet the criteria to have regional power status, as described above. Different experts have differing views on exactly which states are regional powers. States are arranged by their region, and in alphabetic order. Primary, or major, regional powers are placed in the major regions as identified by analysts. Secondary, or minor, regional powers are listed within their subregions. Major regional powers in bold, and minor regional powers in normal font.

Africa

East Africa

•  Ethiopia^[3][4]
•  Kenya^[3][4]

North Africa

•  Algeria ^[5]
•  Egypt^{a[2][6][7][8]}

Southern Africa

•  Angola ^[9]
•  South Africa^{[6][10][11][12]}

West Africa

•  Ghana ^[13]
•  Nigeria^[14][15]

Americas

The United States is regarded as the sole regional power of the Americas (i.e. North and South), and is also considered the world's only superpower. In Latin America alone, Brazil and Mexico are considered as being the only major regional powers. However, some states within the smaller sub-regions of Latin America, such as the Caribbean and the Southern Cone, are also considered by political analysts as powers in their respective zones.

North America

•  Mexico^{[16][17][18][19]}
•  United States^[G][20]

South America

•  Argentina^{[21][22][23][24][25][26][27]}
•  Brazil^{[28][29][30][31]}
•  Colombia^[32][33]
•  Venezuela^[32][33][34]

Asia

East Asia

•  China^{[G][35][36][37][38][39][40]}
•  Japan^{[G][40][41][42]}
•  South Korea^{[40][43][44][45][46][47]}

South Asia

•  India^{[6][48][49][50][51]}

Southeast Asia

•  Indonesia^[10][52]
•  Thailand^[53]
•  Vietnam^{[10][54][55][56]}
•  Philippines^[57][58]

West Asia

•  Iran^b[6][48][59]
•  Israel^a[6][60][61]
•  Saudi Arabia^{b[6][48][62][63]}

Europe

•  France^{[G][10][42][64]}
•  Germany^{[G][10][42][65]}
•  Italy^[66][67]
•  Spain^[68][69][70]
•  United Kingdom^{[G][22][26][71]}

Eurasia

•  Russia ^{[G][40][42][72]}
•  Turkey ^{a[47][73][74][75][76][77]}

Oceania

•  Australia^[78][79]

See also

Footnotes

^a Regional powers in the Levant

^b Regional powers in the Persian Gulf

References