View source for Regional power

{{Short description|State wielding power within a geographical region}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2019}}

[[File:Participants at the 2015 G20 Summit in Turkey.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|Leaders of most regional powers during the [[2015 G20 Antalya summit|2015 G-20 Summit]]]]

{{Forms of government}}

In [[international relations]], '''regional power''', since the late 20th{{nbsp}}century, has been used for a [[sovereign state]] that exercises significant [[Power (international relations)|power]] within its [[region|geographical region]].<ref name="es">Joachim Betz, Ian Taylor, [http://www.essex.ac.uk/ECPR/events/jointsessions/helsinki/long_ws_outlines/ws9.doc "The Rise of (New) Regional Powers in Asia, Africa, Latin America..."]{{dead link|date=March 2017|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}, German Overseas Institute & University of St. Andrews, May 2007</ref><ref name="po">Martin Beck, [https://web.archive.org/web/20090327080130/http://www.giga-hamburg.de/content/forumregional/pdf/giga_conference_RegionalPowers_0612/giga_RegPowers0612_paper_beck.pdf ''The Concept of Regional Power: The Middle East as a Deviant Case?''], German Institute of Global and Area Studies, Hamburg, 11–12 December 2006.</ref> States that wield unrivaled power and influence within a region of the world possess [[regional hegemony]].

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== Characteristics ==
Regional powers shape the [[Polarity (international relations)|polarity]] of a regional area. Typically, regional powers have capabilities which are important in the region, but do not have capabilities at a global scale. Slightly contrasting definitions differ as to what makes a regional power. The [[European Consortium for Political Research]] defines a regional power as 'a state belonging to a geographically defined region, dominating this region in [[Economics|economic]] and [[military]] terms, able to exercise [[Hegemony|hegemonic]] influence in the region and considerable influence on the world scale, willing to make use of power [[resource]]s and recognized or even accepted as the regional leader by its neighbors.'<ref name="es" />

The German Institute of Global and Area Studies states that a regional power must:<ref name="po" />

* Form part of a definable region with its own identity
* Claim to be a regional power (self-image as a regional power)
* Exert decisive influence on the geographic extension of the region as well as on its ideological construction
* Dispose over comparatively high military, economic, [[Demography|demographic]], [[Politics|political]], and [[Ideology|ideological]] capabilities
* Be well integrated into the region
* Define the regional security agenda to a high degree
* Be appreciated as a regional power by other powers in the region and beyond, especially by other regional powers
* Be well connected with regional and global forums

== Regional powers ==
In this list are states that have been described as regional powers by international relations and [[political science]] [[Academy|academics]], analysts, or other experts. These states, to some extent, meet the criteria for regional power status, as described above. Different experts have differing views on exactly which states are regional powers. States are arranged by their region, and in alphabetical order.

=== Africa ===
Even though the [[Economy of Africa|economic weight]] of [[Africa]] is relatively low compared to other continents, and more than two-thirds of African countries are among the [[Least developed countries|least developed states in the world]], Africa's rich natural resources and diverse cultures could carry the potential to enable future development.

Although South Africa was diplomatically isolated during the latter years of the [[apartheid]] era, it is considered to have successfully reintegrated into international affairs over the last 20 years. It is recognized as the only [[newly industrialized country]] in Africa and takes a crucial role in [[BRICS]] and [[G20]]. 

Nigeria is often referred to as the "Giant of Africa" due to both its population and economy being the largest in Africa and the cultural influence that it holds over other countries in Sub-Saharan Africa through its [[Cinema of Nigeria|movie industry]] and [[Mass media in Nigeria|mass media]]. Nigeria is also [[List of countries by oil production|the largest oil producer]] in Africa.

[[Nigeria]] and [[South Africa]] are among the largest African economies; both have GDPs over [[List of countries by GDP (nominal)|$250 billion (nominal)]] and [[List of countries by GDP (PPP)|$700 billion (PPP)]] as of 2020.

==== Sub-Saharan Africa ====
* '''{{NGR}}''' – a member of the [[G-15]], [[OPEC]], and [[D-8 Organization for Economic Cooperation|D-8]]<ref>{{Cite book|last=Flemes|first=Daniel|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=u_6mPWRGKlIC&q=South+Africa+is+not+the+sole+regional+power+on+the+continent%2C+though%3B+Nigeria+is+the+other+widely+acknowledge+centre+of+power+in+Africa+and+likewise+a+sub-regional+superpower+in+West+Africa|title=Regional Leadership in the Global System: Ideas, Interests and Strategies of Regional Powers|date=2010|publisher=Ashgate Publishing, Ltd.|isbn=9780754679127}}</ref>
* '''{{RSA}}''' – a member of the G20, BRICS, and [[CIVETS]]<ref name="The United States and the Great Powers" /><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.iss.co.za/Pubs/ASR/9No3/SAMiddlePower.html|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20061012033753/http://www.iss.co.za/Pubs/ASR/9No3/SAMiddlePower.html|url-status=dead|title=www.iss.co.za|archivedate=12 October 2006}}</ref><ref>"Southern Africa is home to the other of sub-Saharan Africa's regional powers: South Africa. South Africa is more than just a regional power; it is by far the most developed and economically powerful country in Africa, and now it is able to use that influence in Africa more than during the days of apartheid (white rule), when it was ostracized." See David Lynch, ''Trade and Globalization'' (Lanham, USA: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2010), p. 51.</ref>

=== Asia ===
Historically, [[History of China#Imperial China|Imperial China]] was the [[Pax Sinica|dominant power]] in [[East Asia]]. From the late 19th century, the [[Empire of Japan]] initiated [[Meiji Restoration|far-reaching Westernizing reforms]], and rapidly [[industrialisation|industrialized]], to become a major power in [[Asia]] by the time of [[World War I]], as one of the [[Allies of World War I|Allied powers]]. With economic turmoil, Japan's expulsion from the League of Nations, and its interest in expansion on the mainland, Japan became one of the three main [[Axis powers]] in [[World War II]].{{citation needed|date=January 2022}}

Since the late 20th century, regional alliances, economic progress, and contrasting military power changed the strategic and regional power balance in Asia. In recent years, a re-balancing of military and economic power among [[emerging power]]s, such as [[China]] and [[India]], has resulted in significant changes in the geopolitics of Asia. China and [[Japan]] have also gained greater influence over regions beyond Asia. In recent decades, [[South Korea]] has emerged as a significant economic and [[Korean wave|cultural power]] in East Asia. Japan and South Korea are [[major non-NATO ally|important allies for the United States]] in the [[Indo-Pacific]] region.

==== East Asia ====
* '''{{CHN}}'''{{Citation needed|date=July 2023}} – a [[Permanent members of the United Nations Security Council|permanent member]] of the [[UN Security Council]] (P5); a member of the [[G20]], [[BRICS]], and [[Shanghai Cooperation Organisation]] (SCO); and considered a [[great power]]
* '''{{JPN}}''' – a member of the [[G7]], G20, [[OECD]], and [[Quadrilateral Security Dialogue|QUAD]]; one of the [[G4 nations]]; and considered a great power<ref name="cambridge">{{cite journal|title=Japan and the Myanmar Stalemate: Regional Power and Resolution of a Regional Problem&#124; Japanese Journal of Political Science &#124; Cambridge Core|journal=Japanese Journal of Political Science|volume=6|issue=3|pages=393|doi=10.1017/S1468109905001969|year=2006|last1=Holliday|first1=IAN|s2cid=154946583}}</ref>
* '''{{KOR}}''' – a member of the G20, [[MIKTA]], and OECD<ref name="South Korea: A Major Regional Power">{{cite web|url=http://journalofsociology.ro/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/Full-text-pdf.5.pdf|publisher=Journal of Sociology|title=South Korea: A Major Regional Power|access-date=5 July 2017}}</ref>

==== Southeast Asia ====
* '''{{IDN}}''' – a member of the G20, BRICS, MIKTA, [[CIVETS]], [[D-8 Organization for Economic Cooperation|D-8]], and [[G-15]]<ref name="ref">Emmers, Ralf. [http://citation.allacademic.com/meta/p_mla_apa_research_citation/0/7/3/9/2/p73921_index.html "Regional hegemonies and the exercise of power in Southeast Asia: A study of Indonesia and Vietnam"] Paper presented at the annual meeting of the International Studies Association, Le Centre Sheraton Hotel, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, 17 March 2004. Retrieved 17 April 2017.</ref>

==== South Asia ====
* '''{{IND}}''' – a member of the G20, BRICS, SCO, and QUAD; one of the G4 nations; and considered a great power<ref name="The United States and the Great Powers" /><ref name="Regions and powers">{{harvtxt|Buzan & Wæver, Regions and Powers|2003|p=55}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|url=http://www.twq.com/04winter/docs/04winter_perkovich.pdf |title=Is India a Major Power? |last=Perkovich |first=George |journal=The Washington Quarterly |issue=27.1 Winter 2003–04 |access-date=13 December 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080227014858/http://www.twq.com/04winter/docs/04winter_perkovich.pdf |archive-date=27 February 2008 }}</ref><ref name="Encarta">[http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761590309/Great_Powers.html Encarta - Great Powers] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091031190936/http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761590309/Great_Powers.html |date=31 October 2009 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web| author =Dilip Mohite| title =Swords and Ploughshares- India: The Fourth Great Power?| version =Vol. 7, No. 3| publisher =Arms Control, Disarmament, and International Security (ACDIS)| date =Spring 1993| url =http://www.acdis.uiuc.edu/Research/S&Ps/1993-Sp/S&P_VII-3/great_power.html| access-date =13 December 2007| url-status =dead| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20060901150133/http://www.acdis.uiuc.edu/Research/S%26Ps/1993-Sp/S%26P_VII-3/great_power.html| archive-date =1 September 2006}}</ref>

==== West Asia/Middle East ====
* '''{{IRI}}''' – a member of the SCO, BRICS, G-15, and OPEC<ref name="The United States and the Great Powers">{{cite book |last=Buzan |first=Barry |title=The United States and the Great Powers |publisher=Polity Press |year=2004 |location=Cambridge, United Kingdom |pages=71 |isbn=978-0-7456-3375-6}}</ref><ref name="Regions and powers" /><ref name="auto">"Iran is a strong regional power, in a far better shape than Pakistan because of its economic capabilities, rich mineral and energy resources, and internal stability, added to its far greater geostrategic importance." In Hooman Peimani, ''Nuclear Proliferation in the Indian Subcontinent'' (Westport: Praeger Publishers, 2000), p. 30.</ref>
* '''{{ISR}}''' – a member of the OECD<ref name="Butenschøn 1992 95–119">{{cite book |title=Regional Great Powers in International Politics |last=Butenschøn |first=Nils A. |date=1992|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan |location=London|isbn=9781349126637|pages=95–119 |doi=10.1007/978-1-349-12661-3_5|chapter=Israel as a Regional Great Power: Paradoxes of Regional Alienation}}</ref>
* '''{{SAU}}''' – a member of the G20 and OPEC<ref name="Saudi Arabia" >{{cite journal |title=Saudi Arabia as a Resurgent Regional Power |last=Ehteshami |first=Anoush |journal=The International Spectator |date=2018 |volume=53 |issue=4 |pages=75–94 |doi=10.1080/03932729.2018.1507722 |s2cid=158177906|url=https://dro.dur.ac.uk/25573/1/25573.pdf }}</ref>
* '''{{TUR}}''' – a member of the G20, OECD, MIKTA, CIVETS, and D-8<ref>{{cite book |url=https://www.cambridgescholars.com/resources/pdfs/978-1-4438-4870-1-sample.pdf |author1=Kenan Aksu |title=Turkey: A Regional Power in the Making |date=2013 |publisher=Cambridge Scholars Publishing |isbn=978-1-4438-4870-1 |language=en |access-date=25 August 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author1=Deniz Devrim, Evelina Schulz |title=Turkey's Rise as a Regional Power and its Role in the European Neighbourhood (ARI) |url=https://www.realinstitutoelcano.org/en/analyses/turkeys-rise-as-a-regional-power-and-its-role-in-the-european-neighbourhood-ari/ |access-date=25 August 2023 |publisher=[[Elcano Royal Institute]] |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author1=André Bank |author2=Roy Karadag |title=Before the Arab Revolts and After: Turkey's Transformed Regional Power Status in the Middle East |date=2013 |publisher=Springer Science+Business Media |pages=103–121 |doi=10.1057/9781137484758_6 |isbn=978-1-349-50355-1 |url=https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1057/9781137484758_6 |language=en |access-date=25 August 2023}}</ref>

=== Europe ===
{{Main|European balance of power}}

[[Russia]] – the [[Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic|dominant part]] of a former superpower, the [[Soviet Union]], is now considered a potential superpower, and has historically been the primary geopolitical force in [[Eastern Europe]]. [[France]], [[Germany]], [[Italy]], and the [[United Kingdom]], collectively known as [[Big Four (Western Europe)|Big Four in Western Europe]], as they play pivotal roles as part of the [[Quint (international organization)|NATO Quint]] in the security of the [[Western Bloc]]. Most of the continent is now integrated as a consequence of the enlargement of the European Union, which is sometimes considered a great power as a whole, despite it not being a sovereign state.<ref name="google4">{{cite book|title=Global Security Governance: Competing Perceptions of Security in the Twenty-First Century|author1=Kirchner, E.J.|author2=Sperling, J.|date=2007|publisher=Taylor & Francis|isbn=9781134222223|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xVN_AgAAQBAJ&pg=PA265|page=265|access-date=5 March 2017}}</ref><ref name="google5">{{cite book|title=Handbook of Economic Growth|author1=Aghion, P.|author2=Durlauf, S.N.|date=2005|publisher=Elsevier|isbn=9780444520418|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fQ4JBwLsz8cC&pg=PA788|page=788|access-date=5 March 2017}}</ref> Historically, dominant powers in Europe created colonial empires (such as the [[Belgian colonial empire|Belgian]], [[British Empire|British]], [[Danish overseas colonies|Danish]], [[Dutch Empire|Dutch]], [[French colonial empire|French]], [[German colonial empire|German]], [[Italian Empire|Italian]], [[Portuguese Empire|Portuguese]], [[Russian Empire|Russian]], and [[Spanish Empire]]s).

==== Eastern Europe ==== 
* '''{{RUS}}''' – a [[Permanent members of the United Nations Security Council|permanent member]] of the [[UN Security Council]] (P5); a member of the [[G20]], [[BRICS]], and [[Shanghai Cooperation Organisation]] (SCO); and considered a [[great power]]{{efn|name="Russia"|Russia and Germany have historically been considered key regional players in European affairs.<ref>{{cite journal|url=https://www.swp-berlin.org/publications/products/fachpublikationen/Strategic_Partners_ks.pdf|title=Germany and Russia - strategic partners?|last1=Götz|first1=Ronald|year=2007|journal=[[German Institute for International and Security Affairs]]|access-date=6 June 2024}}</ref>}}

==== Central Europe ====
* '''{{GER}}''' – a member of the [[G7]], G20, and [[OECD]]; one of the [[G4 nations]]; and considered a great power{{efn|name="Russia"}}

==== Western Europe ====
* '''{{FRA}}'''{{Citation needed|date=July 2023}} – a permanent member of the UN Security Council (P5); a member of the G7, G20, and OECD; and considered a great power
* '''{{GBR}}''' – a permanent member of the UN Security Council (P5); a member of the G7, G20, OECD, and [[AUKUS]]; and considered a great power<ref name="Huntington 2001 p. 61">"Secondary regional powers in Huntington's view include Great Britain, Ukraine, Japan, South Korea, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Argentina." See Tom Nierop, "The Clash of Civilisations," in ''The Territorial Factor'', edited by Gertjan Dijkink and Hans Knippenberg (Amsterdam: Vossiuspers UvA, 2001), p. 61.</ref><ref name="Samuel P. Huntington 2000 p. 6">Samuel P. Huntington, "Culture, Power, and Democracy," in ''Globalization, Power, and Democracy'', edited by Marc Plattner and Aleksander Smolar (Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 2000), p. 6.</ref>

==== Southern Europe ====
* '''{{ITA}}''' – a member of the G7, G20, and OECD; and considered a great power<ref>Gabriele Abbondanza, ''Italy as a Regional Power: the African Context from National Unification to the Present Day'' (Rome: Aracne, 2016)</ref>
*'''{{ESP}}''' – a member of the G20, [[Organization of Ibero-American States|OEI]], and OECD<ref>The reality of Spain in 2021 is that of a relevant middle power with the potential to gain more importance in the world. https://www.lamoncloa.gob.es/consejodeministros/resumenes/Documents/2021/270421-foreigh_action_strategy_2021-2024.pdf</ref><ref>Spain, as a middle power with global connections and goals. https://arctic-council.org/news/interview-with-arctic-council-observer-spain/</ref><ref>{{Cite web | title=Henley, Peter Holcombe; Blokker, Niels M --- "The Group of 20: A Short Legal Anatomy from the Perspective of International Institutional Law" [2013] MelbJlIntLaw 18; (2013) 14(2) Melbourne Journal of International Law 550 | url=http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/journals/MelbJIL/2013/18.pdf | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170517045501/http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/journals/MelbJIL/2013/18.pdf | access-date=2025-02-18 | archive-date=2017-05-17}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web| title=The role of foreign aid in middle power diplomacy: comparative analysis of South Korea and Turkey | url=https://etd.lib.metu.edu.tr/upload/12621063/index.pdf | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210916221459/https://etd.lib.metu.edu.tr/upload/12621063/index.pdf | archive-date=2021-09-16}}</ref>

=== North America ===
The United States is the primary geopolitical force in [[North America]], and is widely considered as the sole contemporary [[superpower]] globally. It dominates the region so heavily that its neighbors, Canada and Mexico, both [[middle powers]] in the region, are generally not considered regional powers. Despite having a large enough economy to be a member of the [[Group of Seven|G7]], [[Canada]] is not a regional power for two reasons. It is militarily secure as a result of U.S. hegemony, and has become financially comfortable by its dependence on, and deep integration with, a robust U.S. economy.<ref name="Bothwell2011">{{Cite thesis |last=Bothwell |first=Alice |title=Can Canada still be considered a middle power? Zimbabwe and Canada's declining global role |date=2011 |degree=Masters Degrees (Political Science) |publisher=Stellenbosch : University of Stellenbosch |url=https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/6698 |hdl=10019.1/6698 |language=en |page=34}}</ref> [[Mexico]] is an emerging power which could probably be viewed as a regional power if grouped with [[Latin America]], or a definite regional power if considered in either [[Middle America (Americas)|Middle America]] or in [[Hispanic America]] due to its [[economy of Mexico|economic size]] and [[List of World Heritage Sites in Mexico|diverse cultural heritages]].<ref>{{cite journal| first=Günther |last=Maihold|title=Mexico: A leader in search of like-minded peers |url=https://www.swp-berlin.org/publications/products/fachpublikationen/170306_ilm_IJ_Mexico.pdf |journal=[[International Journal]] |access-date=15 October 2021 |date= 2017 |volume=71|issue=4|pages=545–562|doi=10.1177/0020702016687336|s2cid=152064492}}</ref> However, similar to Canada, Mexican economy is highly reliant on the U.S. with about 80% of its exports shipping to the U.S. alone.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://sgp.fas.org/crs/row/RL32934.pdf |publisher=Congressional Research Service |title=US-Mexico Economic Relations: Trends, Issues, and Implications |access-date=1 December 2021 |date=25 June 2020|quote=Mexico's per capita GDP is relatively high by global standards, and falls within the World Bank's upper-middle income category. Mexico's economy relies heavily on the United States as an export market. The value of exports equaled 39% of Mexico's GDP in 2019, as shown in Table 1, and approximately 80% of Mexico's exports were headed to the United States. |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211023135759/https://sgp.fas.org/crs/row/RL32934.pdf |archive-date=23 October 2021 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.candriam.com/en/professional/market-insights/topics/macro/mexico-economy-highly-dependent-on-the-united-states/|publisher=[[Candriam]] |title=Mexico: Economy Highly Dependent on the United States |access-date=1 December 2021 |date=2 July 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211103210301/https://www.candriam.com/en/professional/market-insights/topics/macro/mexico-economy-highly-dependent-on-the-united-states/|archive-date=3 November 2021 |url-status=live}}</ref>

* '''{{USA}}'''{{Citation needed|date=July 2023}} – a [[Permanent members of the United Nations Security Council|permanent member]] of the [[UN Security Council]] (P5); a member of the G7, [[G20]], [[OECD]], [[Quadrilateral Security Dialogue|QUAD]], and [[AUKUS]]; and considered a [[great power]]

=== Oceania ===
Australia is considered to be a regional power due to its significant commercial and diplomatic relations in [[Asia–Pacific]] region since the late 1990s.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Argounès |first=Fabrice |date=2012-07-05 |title=Australia: the Temptation of Regional Power |url=https://www.cairn-int.info/article-E_POUV_141_0103--australia-the-temptation-of-regional-pow.htm |journal=Pouvoirs |language=fr |volume=141 |issue=2 |pages=103–116 |doi=10.3917/pouv.141.0103 |issn=0152-0768}}</ref>

* '''{{AUS}}''' – a member of the [[G20]], [[OECD]], [[MIKTA]], [[Quadrilateral Security Dialogue|QUAD]], and [[AUKUS]]<ref name="routledge">{{cite web|url=http://www.routledge.com/shopping_cart/products/product_detail.asp?curTab=Author%20Biography&id=&parent_id=3459&sku=&isbn=9780415404211&pc=/shopping_cart/categories/categories_products.asp!parent_id=3459$so=1|publisher=routledge.com|title=Australia as an Asia-Pacific Regional Power: Friendships in Flux? (Hardback) - Routledge|date=12 September 2007|access-date=5 March 2017|archive-date=7 April 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200407140806/https://www.routledge.com/Australia-as-an-Asia-Pacific-Regional-Power-Friendships-in-Flux-1st/Taylor/p/book/9780415404211|url-status=dead}}</ref>

=== South America ===
Since the [[Age of Discovery]], Portugal and Spain mostly divided [[South America]] to be the foremost colonial powers in the continent, but following [[decolonization of the Americas|decolonization]] in the first half of the 19th century, the European powers withdrew and new nations were established, although their cultural influence and languages still remain predominant in Latin America.

[[Brazil]] is considered one of the most compelling geopolitical power in South America, as the country has the highest population and landmass in the continent, and [[Economy of Brazil|its economic size]], which possesses large stockpiles of natural resources, including [[Mining in Brazil|valuable minerals]], a tenth of the world's fresh water and it's also one of the countries that contain the [[Amazon rainforest|Earth's largest remaining rainforest]]. Brazil has an important role in international relations, especially in economic and global environmental issues.<ref name="Kwang Ho Chun">{{cite book |author=Kwang Ho Chun|year=2013|title=The BRICs Superpower Challenge: Foreign and Security Policy Analysis |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LgDJNAEACAAJ|access-date=21 September 2015|publisher=Ashgate|isbn=978-1-4094-6869-1}}</ref> 

* '''{{ARG}}''' – a member of the [[G20]] and [[Organization of Ibero-American States|OEI]]<ref>"Argentina has been the leading military and economic power in the Southern Cone in the Twentieth Century." See Michael Morris, "The Srait of Magellan," in ''International Straits of the World'', edited by Gerard Mangone (Dordrecht, The Netherlands: Martinus Nijhoff Publishes, 1988), p. 63.</ref><ref name="Huntington 2001 p. 61" /><ref>"The US has created a foundation upon which the regional powers, especially Argentina and Brazil, can developed their own rules for further managing regional relations." See David Lake, "Regional Hierarchies," in ''Globalising the Regional'', edited by Rick Fawn (UK: Cambridge University Press, 2009), p. 55.</ref><ref>"The southern cone of South America, including Argentina and Brazil, the two regional powers, has recently become a pluralistic security community." See Emanuel Adler and Patricia Greve, "Overlapping regional mechanisms of security governance," in ''Globalising the Regional'', edited by Rick Fawn (UK: Cambridge University Press, 2009), p. 78.</ref><ref>"[...] notably by linking the Southern Cone's rival regional powers, Brazil and Argentina." See Alejandra Ruiz-Dana, Peter Goldschag, Edmundo Claro and Hernan Blanco, "Regional integration, trade and conflicts in Latin America," in ''Regional Trade Integration and Conflict Resolution'', edited by Shaheen Rafi Khan (New York: Routledge, 2009), p. 18.</ref><ref name="Samuel P. Huntington 2000 p. 6" /><ref>"The driving force behind the adoption of the MERCOSUR agreement was similar to that of the establishment of the EU: the hope of limiting the possibilities of traditional military hostility between the major regional powers, Brazil and Argentina." See Anestis Papadopoulos, ''The International Dimension of EU Competition Law and Policy'' (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2010), p. 283.</ref>
* '''{{BRA}}''' – a member of the G20, [[BRICS]], and OEI; and one of the [[G4 nations]]<ref>{{cite web|last1=De Lima|first1=Maria Regina Soares |last2=Hirst |first2=Monica|title=Brazil as an intermediate state and regional power: action, choice and responsibilities |url=http://www.chathamhouse.org/sites/default/files/public/International%20Affairs/Blanket%20File%20Import/inta_513.pdf|publisher=Chatham House |access-date=16 April 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121106023112/http://www.chathamhouse.org/sites/default/files/public/International%20Affairs/Blanket%20File%20Import/inta_513.pdf|archive-date=6 November 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Wigell|first=Mikael|title=Assertive Brazil, an emerging power and its implications|date=19 May 2011 |url=http://www.fiia.fi/assets/publications/bp82.pdf |publisher=Finnish Institute of International Affairs|access-date=16 April 2012 |archive-date=3 June 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130603114150/http://www.fiia.fi/assets/publications/bp82.pdf |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last=Schenoni |first=Luis|title=Unveiling the South American Balance|journal=Estudos Internacionais |volume=2 |issue=2 |pages=215–232 |date=Jul–Dec 2015 |url=https://www.academia.edu/12944490|access-date=16 April 2015}}</ref>

== See also ==
* [[List of medieval great powers|List of historical great powers]]
* [[List of modern great powers]]

== Notes ==
{{notelist}}

== References ==
{{reflist|30em}}

== Bibliography ==
* {{citation |last1=Buzan |first1=Barry|author-link1=Barry Buzan| last2=Wæver |first2=Ole|title=Regions and Powers: The Structure of International Security|location=Cambridge|publisher=Cambridge University Press |year= 2003 |page=55 |isbn=978-0-521-89111-0|title-link=Regions and Powers: The Structure of International Security |ref={{sfnref|Buzan & Wæver, Regions and Powers|2003}}}}
* {{citation |editor1-first=Nadine |editor1-last=Godehardt |editor2-first=Dirk |editor2-last=Nabers |title=Regional Orders and Regional Powers |year=2011 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-136-71891-5 |pages=193–208|ref=none}}
* {{citation |last1=Stewart-Ingersoll |first1=Robert |last2=Frazier |first2=Derrick |title=Regional Powers and Security Orders: A Theoretical Framework |year=2012 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-0-415-56919-4|ref=none}}

{{International power}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Regional Power}}
[[Category:Types of countries]]

[[Category:20th-century neologisms]]
[[Category:Hegemony]]
[[Category:Political science terminology]]
[[Category:Political terminology]]
[[Category:International relations theory]]