Status competition among Russia, India, and China in clubs: a source of stalemate or innovation in global governance

ABSTRACT

The conventional wisdom in international relations is that rising powers seek additional status and influence from the hegemon. But emerging powers may also compete among themselves for status. While attempting to enhance their status vis-à-vis the West, the ‘strategic triangle’ of Russia, India, and China sometimes compete for status and influence within clubs such as the BRICS, SCO, and BRI. This pattern is difficult to explain in terms of neorealist, club, or constructivist theory. An explanation for this phenomenon is provided by social identity theory (SIT) from social psychology, which argues that groups seek a positively distinctive identity. The BRICS are able to cooperate when acting in terms of a superordinate identity. To avoid escalation of their rivalry, Russia and China have established niche diplomatic areas in Central Asia, an example of social cooperation. Status competition among Russia, India, and China both motivates and obstructs cooperation on global governance.

KEYWORDS:

• Status
• rising powers
• global governance
• Central Asia
• Russia
• China

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes on contributor

Deborah Welch Larson is professor of political science at the University of California, Los Angeles. Her research interests include the role of status concerns in influencing foreign policy, trust, and the use of social psychology to explain American foreign policy decision making. She most recently published Quest for Status: Chinese and Russian Foreign Policy (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2019), with Alexei Shevchenko.