A World Without the West? Empirical Patterns and Theoretical Implications

Abstract

For the first time in a century, a set of large, populous, and increasingly wealthy countries—this time China, India, and Russia—are on the cusp of achieving, or regaining, great power status. With good reason, those concerned with the trajectory of world politics are carefully watching how these states handle their ascent to international power and status: both history and theory suggest that rising powers can have a profound, sometimes violent, effect on international politics. The goal of this article is to build upon the existing literature that addresses these critical moments of transformation in the global distribution of power. We chart a research agenda that stands in contrast to traditional power transition paradigms. In doing so, rather than seeking to prove a new theory, we provide a sampling of empirical tests and theoretical innovations that could be used to explore new avenues of research in this domain. The prevailing contemporary view of the international political economy is one in which economic globalization, fueled by technology, is leading to increasing interconnectedness throughout the world. The topographic image accompanying this prism has been popularized by Thomas Friedman as an increasingly ‘flat’ world.1 Although economic powerhouses such as the USA, Europe, and Japan are still outsized nodes, political-economic activity around the globe is believed to be increasingly networked and distributed such that ties deepen among countries in a fashion that gradually equalizes the terms of global connectivity. Indeed, the common empirical preoccupation—even in times of economic downturn—is with documenting the velocity of global interconnectivity; and the theoretical preoccupation is with trying to understand the meaning of its magnitude.2

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