The Recalibration of Middle Powers under Conditions of Stress and Opportunity

The document examines the shifting diplomatic strategies of middle powers in a multipolar world, contrasting the approaches of the MIKTA grouping, South Africa's alignment with BRICS, and Canada's shift toward strategic consolidation with Western allies.

• The current multipolar global environment is placing significant pressure on middle-power countries to define their national interests and project their identities, leading them to seek different international platforms.
• Middle powers have adopted diverse strategies for status enhancement: some utilize the G-20, while others have formed the MIKTA grouping (Mexico, Indonesia, South Korea, Turkey, and Australia) to provide a diplomatic outlet for those positioned between the G-7 and BRICS.
• South Africa has chosen to prioritize its membership in the BRICS grouping over a traditional middle-power identity to project itself as an 'ascendant country' both globally and regionally.
• Canada's diplomatic approach has evolved from a post-WWII strategy of broad engagement and the use of ad hoc 'like-minded' coalitions in the 1990s to a more consolidated focus under Prime Minister Stephen Harper.
• The Harper government's strategy of concentrating on the US and strategic NATO and G-7 partners represents a shift from diplomatic style to substance, though it carries the risk of international isolation, as seen in Canada's 2010 failure to secure a UN Security Council seat.

APA

Cooper, A. W. (2015). The Recalibration of Middle Powers under Conditions of Stress and Opportunity. South African Institute of International Affairs. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Policy-Insights-9.pdf

Chicago

Cooper, Andre W. The Recalibration of Middle Powers under Conditions of Stress and Opportunity. South African Institute of International Affairs, 2015. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Policy-Insights-9.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Cooper |first1=Andre W |title=The Recalibration of Middle Powers under Conditions of Stress and Opportunity |publisher=South African Institute of International Affairs |date=9 March 2015 |url=https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Policy-Insights-9.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{cooper2015recalibration, author = {Cooper, Andre W}, title = {{The Recalibration of Middle Powers under Conditions of Stress and Opportunity}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2015}, month = mar, url = {https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Policy-Insights-9.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }