The Making of International Status

Abstract With great power rivalry on the rise again, many worry that struggles for status among states could lead to war. As a growing consensus indicates, status-dissatisfied states are more prone to conflict. Yet, a fundamental question remains: how do states achieve status? Scholars traditionally assume that status is a function of state attributes, especially material capabilities, but do not put this assumption to the test. Drawing on interdisciplinary research, this book develops a network theory of status. It argues that status depends on patterns of state relations, rather than on the properties of states. To understand how international hierarchies of status are made, the book traces their origins back to key transformations that magnified global inequality in the nineteenth century. As Europeans made a turn to imperialism, status distinctions legitimized inequality by drawing a boundary between “civilized” Europeans entitled to sovereignty on the one hand, and “uncivilized” non-Europeans unable to govern themselves on the other hand. Once established, status distinctions reinforced inequality via cumulative advantage mechanisms: the higher standing a state enjoys, the more it attracts additional recognition. It is no coincidence that, to this day, status evaluations rely on governance ideals associated with the West. Conducting a network analysis of diplomatic relations since the early nineteenth century, this study reveals relational patterns in status recognition that had not been examined empirically. By distinguishing status from the properties of states, the book aims to move status to its rightful place as a concept central to the study of international politics.