The Journal of Foreign Policy

The Journal of Foreign Policy

Foreign Policy of Moderate Revisionist Powers: A Case Study of Brazil and South Africa (2005-2023)

Document Type : Research Paper

Abstract
The struggle between revisionist and status quo powers has sometimes brought instability to the international system, which has imposed high costs on other actors. Most realist scholars blame revisionist powers for this, and their prescription for containing these powers as disruptors of the order. This study attempts to provide a more precise demarcation between disruptors of the order and other revisionists by analyzing a distinct type of revisionist powers that do not seek to disrupt the international order. It also provides a precise understanding of the process of transition of the international order in the policy arena. Therefore, the question that we will address in this study is: How has the mediating role of South Africa and Brazil in foreign policy distinguished them from other revisionist powers and influenced their strategic behavior in the international system? The hypothesis of this research is based on the principle that Brazil and South Africa, as intermediary revisionist powers, are inclined towards extensive institutional transformation through the mobilization of alternative networks and the use of coalition networks, and their strategy for creating change in the international system is based on positioning in the institutional order, peaceful coexistence, and the creation of alternative networks. In this research, two cases of Brazil and South Africa (2005-2023) have been scientifically processed using a descriptive and analytical method, based on which their approach at the regional and global levels is examined, and their agency roles and access in the international system will be discussed.
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