Is Australia a middle power? A systemic impact approach

Abstract

This article examines whether Australia is a middle power. It identifies the three most popular approaches to defining a middle power: by a country's position, behaviour and identity. The article tests each definition against Australia, highlighting the strengths and weaknesses of each. Highlighting an earlier systemic approach to defining states, an alternative ‘systemic impact’ definition for middle powers is proposed. This approach, it is argued, provides a more comprehensive manner for identifying whether a country like Australia is a middle power, along with the implications for international security.

本文分析了澳大利亚是否属于中等强国。中等强国一般有三个定义标准：国家地位、行为及身份。本文从三个方面对比了澳大利亚，讨论了每个方面的短长。作者强调了早期对国家的一种系统定义，建议采用“系统影响力”来定义中等强国。这种思路为思考澳大利亚这样的国家是否属于中等强国提供了综合的视角，对于研究国际安全有一定意义。

Keywords:

• Australia
• international relations theory
• middle power

Notes

1. Some countries are still difficult to report accurate figures from, either due to underdevelopment or deliberate obfuscation of true military spending, especially by authoritarian regimes.

2. Defence budget cuts by the Australian government in 2012 may have reduced this position slightly, though the 2013 National Security Strategy has committed the Australian government to keeping its defence spending in the top 15 globally.