Great Power Politics in Greater Eurasia: Regional Alliances, Institutions, Projects, and Conflicts


Tüfekçi Ö. (Editor), Dağ R. (Editor)

Rowman & Littlefield, Oxford, London, 2023

  • Publication Type: Book / Research Book
  • Publication Date: 2023
  • Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield, Oxford
  • City: London
  • Karadeniz Technical University Affiliated: Yes

Abstract

The common understanding that the power center flows from the West to the East is a popular subject in academia. Even if it is true and has an academic and intellectual background, it is evident that this process could not suddenly occur, but it will take a great deal of time and struggle over significant geographies, institutions, natural resources, and ideas (Gilpin, 1981; Wohlforth, 1999: 32; Posen, 2009; Schweller and Pu, 2011). It may not be possible to set an exact date for this power flow, but it continues for sure. In this regard, power transition theory makes sense by arguing that one’s relative power downgrading could lead to another’s power upgrading (Chan, 2007; Lai, 2011; Pop and Brînză, 2017). “The character of these respective changes contradicts power transition theory, which claims that the dominant power, as a status quo power, will seek to actively maintain the status quo, and the rising power, as a revisionist power, will challenge the existing system” (Zhou, 2019: 3). In this core assumption, there has to be a certain and limited power in a total of the world, and this power is distributed among the nations in the world. However, in case the idea that the nations are able to create more power and surpass the others is considered correct, then rising powers’ appetite for getting more space in their sphere of influence and also more say in world politics, especially in the issues that directly influence their national interests. In other words, the observed decline in hegemonic or superpower inclines rising powers to challenge the embedded international system (Volgy and Imwalle, 1995: 827; Schweller and Pu, 2011: 42).