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International Relations of the Asia-Pacific
Can't get no satisfaction? The recognition of revisionist states
by Steve Chan
Abstract
Attributions of satisfaction or dissatisfaction to states form an important foundation of theories about international relations, especially with respect to the outbreak of war among major powers. This paper addresses several conceptual and empirical problems in the application of these attributions. It first offers a critique of the conventional denotation of states as putatively satisfied or dissatisfied. It then presents the multiple connotations that this distinction has been associated with. This is followed by the suggestion of an alternative indicator, based on the extent of a state's participation in international governmental organizations (IGOs), for assessing and tracking national satisfaction/dissatisfaction. The paper then proceeds to a discussion of prior studies of the power-transition theory, and presents a serial reading of national satisfaction/dissatisfaction on the part of the main contenders for international leadership from 1860 to 1949. Given its central role in the wars among these contenders, Germany's scores are the subject of special scrutiny. The proposed measure of satisfaction/dissatisfaction, when combined with the occurrence of power shifts as determined by prior research, shows a strong association with the timing of past wars between major powers. The conclusion discusses some further theoretical and policy implications of the perspective presented.