Reviewer: James Whibley (Victoria University of Wellington)
- Publisher: Polity, 2012
- ISBN: 9780745634715
- Available at: Amazon
- Author's page: Martin A. Smith
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Despite its status as a fundamental concept in International
Relations (IR), defining or analysing how power works eludes many
scholars. Martin A. Smith, a senior lecturer at the Sandhurst Royal
Military Academy, provides a helpful guide to understanding how power
operates and how states can undermine or strengthen their own power
through the policy choices of leaders. Furthermore, by examining the
recent foreign policies of the US, Russia, and China the book
contributes an original analysis of the application of power and the
future of the international order.
The book’s two theoretical chapters analyse the different
perspectives on how to understand power and what resources comprise
power. Smith examines the concepts of power put forward by range of
scholars across many decades, commenting on the works of Parsons, Dahl,
Morgenthau, and Mearsheimer. Smith does not merely summarise each
perspective however; he clarifies how states can use power and adds an
intelligent analysis about the limitations of each author’s conception
of power. The book’s central theoretical argument is that power is
ill-defined and under-theorised in IR. Smith believes the best
understanding of power comes from a sociological approach; viewing power
as a social and relational construct. While Smith concedes power has a
basis in the possession of material resources, power also exists within a
framework of established norms, laws, and rules that shape state action
(p. 11). Smith also provides a succinct discussion of networked power,
raising doubts about the ability of communications technology to erase
power imbalances between state and non-sate actors, while admitting the
usefulness of viewing power as a function of interactions and
relationships.
The book contends that power lies dormant until consciously activated
by state leaders. Therefore, states can be more or less powerful than
material resources suggest, depending on, ‘the effectiveness and skill
with which their leaders can harness their possession of relevant
resources to achieve desired ends through interaction with others’ (p.
14). Thinking about power as more than the sum of economic and military
power is crucial for the effective use of diplomacy and Smith makes a
convincing appeal for leaders to consider how the use of hard power
affects perceptions of states legitimacy.
Building on this procedural view of power, Smith makes his own
conceptual addition to the literature by distinguishing between
“inferior” and “superior” power. The latter exists when an exercise of
power leads to intended or preferred outcomes, while the former results
from a voluntary act that has unintended, negative consequences (p.
16-17). The distinction between each type of power is useful, providing
greater nuance and clarity to assertions about whether a policy
represents deterioration in state power. Smith also deserves praise for
contributing a more precise and nuanced view of Nye’s concept of soft
power, correctly asserting that the ideas underlying soft power are not
without precedent in the literature. Moreover, Smith rescues the term
from conceptual fuzziness by clearly delineating what counts as an
exercise of soft power and the limitations to its use as a policy tool.
The case studies of US, Russian, and Chinese foreign policy from the
1990s to the present comprise the rest of the book. Despite many others
having heavily scrutinised the Bush Administration’s foreign policy,
Smith is able to supply an original analysis that explains why the
administration was indifferent to accusations that its policies were
destructive to US international legitimacy. Nevertheless, Smith notes
the ability of the Bush Administration to learn from experience and
revert to a multilateral approach, while illustrating the necessity of
maintaining international legitimacy, even under conditions of
unipolarity.
The Russian case also provides a novel analysis, informing readers
about the debate over multipolarity within Russia and recounting the
almost total collapse of soft power in modern Russian foreign policy.
The chapters on China’s future foreign policy are particularly
noteworthy for their even-handed approach to assessing Chinese power.
Smith neither denies the growing presence of China on the global stage
nor exaggerates the risk China poses to the current international order.
While the empirical chapters are valuable for providing a better
understanding of each state’s foreign policy, Smith underutilises the
inferior/superior conception of power introduced at the book’s opening,
only briefly mentioning how either concept leads to a better
understanding of the actions of Russian and Chinese leaders. The book’s
conclusion does go further in to exploring theoretical and policy
implications of Smith’s work, but is lamentably brief.
The book employs a wealth of research, marshalling evidence from a
number of secondary sources for a multi-disciplinary approach that
synthesises analysis from sociology, political science, and philosophy.
Despite the lack of original research, the book presents its evidence in
a convincing manner and deserves to attract interest for skilfully
including many classical and non-western thinkers in its analysis. The
book is also highly up to date, including analysis of actions taken by
the Obama administration and the recent events concerning the Arab
Spring.
The book will be of use to scholars at any level but may especially
appeal to students, as the book avoids overloading the reader with
academic jargon and clearly defines terms and concepts. The book also
remains very readable throughout and follows a similar structure in each
chapter, creating a coherent argument. Despite any shortcomings, Power in the Changing Global Order
is a valuable contribution to a literature that often fails to employ
important terms with precision and serves as an important argument for
the abiding nature of US power.
