Ascending Order
Rising Powers and the Politics of Status in International Institutions

An historically-informed account of rising powers and their quest for eminence in the core institutions of international order.

Rohan Mukherjee (Author)

9781009186797, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 27 July 2023

351 pages, 4 b/w illus. 11 tables
22.9 x 15.2 x 1.9 cm, 0.509 kg

'It is a theoretically ambitious and empirically jam-packed contribution that explains why rising powers in global politics sometimes challenge an international order that enables their growth, and at other times support an order that constrains them. The biggest strength of this book is indeed the breadth, depth, and novelty of the archival material, undoubtedly completed through extensive and meticulous labour.' Caroline Dunton, Small States & Territories

Why do rising powers sometimes challenge an international order that enables their growth, and at other times support an order that constrains them? Ascending Order offers the first comprehensive study of conflict and cooperation as new powers join the global arena. International institutions shape the choices of rising states as they pursue equal status with established powers. Open membership rules and fair decision-making procedures facilitate equality and cooperation, while exclusion and unfairness frequently produce conflict. Using original and robust archival evidence, the book examines these dynamics in three cases: the United States and the maritime laws of war in the mid-nineteenth century; Japan and naval arms control in the interwar period; and India and nuclear non-proliferation in the Cold War. This study shows that the future of contemporary international order depends on the ability of international institutions to address the status ambitions of rising powers such as China and India.

1. Introduction
2. Conceptual foundations
3. Institutional status theory
4. The United States and the Atlantic system in the 19th century
5. Japan and the Washington system of the interwar period
6. India and the international order of the cold war
7. China and the liberal international order
8. Conclusion.

Subject Areas: International organisations & institutions [LBBU], International relations [JPS]