The struggle for recognition in international relations : status, revisionism, and rising powers

281 Pages·2019·1.868 MB·English

by  Murray, Michelle

The Struggle for Recognition in International Relations

T he Struggle for Recognition
in International Relations
Status, Revisionism, and Rising Powers
Michelle Murray
1
1
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Murray, Michelle K., author.
Title: The struggle for recognition in international relations :
status, revisionism, and rising powers / Michelle Murray.
Description: New York, NY : Oxford University Press, [2019] |
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2018017069 (print) | LCCN 2018021177 (ebook) |
ISBN 9780190878917 (Updf) | ISBN 9780190878924 (Epub) |
ISBN 9780190878900 (hardcover : alk. paper)
Subjects: LCSH: Unipolarity (International relations) | World politics. |
United States—Foreign relations. | China—Foreign relations.
Classification: LCC JZ5588 (ebook) |
LCC JZ5588.M87 2019 (print) | DDC 327.73—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018017069
9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Printed by Sheridan Books, Inc., United States of America
For Chris

CONTENTS
Acknowledgments ix
CHAPTER 1 Introduction: The Problem of Rising Powers in
International Politics 1
CHAPTER 2 The Struggle for Recognition: State Identity and
the Problem of Social Uncertainty in International
Politics 29
CHAPTER 3 The Social Construction of Revisionism:
(Mis)Recognition and the Struggle for Major
Power Status 53
CHAPTER 4 Weltpolitik: The German Aspiration for World Power
Status 87
CHAPTER 5 Recognition Refused: The Tragedy of German Naval
Ambition before the First World War 113
CHAPTER 6 Looking Outward: The American Aspiration for World
Power Status 141
CHAPTER 7 Recognition and Rapprochement: America’s Peaceful
Rise 167
CHAPTER 8 Conclusion: Rising Powers and the Future of the
International Order 191
References 225
Index 251

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This book is about how states depend on each other to become the
kinds of actors they want to be in the international sphere. The same
is true of individuals and this book would not have been possible without
the support, insight, and guidance of many people whom I depended on
along the way.
This book began as a dissertation that I completed at the University of
Chicago. It is no exaggeration to say that Alex Wendt has had the most
formative effect on me as a scholar and professor. I first met Alex as an
undergraduate, when I approached him with an incoherent idea for a BA
thesis that he patiently listened to and generously agreed to supervise. As
chair of my dissertation committee, he played a significant role in helping
me conceptualize this project and provided much needed intellectual guid-
ance along the way. And perhaps most importantly, he was there every
step of the way as I undertook the tedious task of turning a dissertation
into a book, always willing to offer advice when I wasn’t sure what to do
next and encouragement when I was feeling hopeless. He read countless
drafts of chapters and his constructively critical eye helped me to under-
stand my argument better, to think harder about my ideas, and to trust my
instincts when I was plagued with self-d oubt. Alex’s intellectual imprint
on this book is unmistakable and I hope he is proud of how it turned out.
But beyond this, it is because of him that I became a professor of interna-
tional politics, and his example—a s a generous mentor who encourages
his students to think creatively and for themselves— is one I try to emulate
with my students.
Charles Lipson has been a devoted advisor from the earliest days of
graduate school and persistently encouraged me to think big about the