Assessment of the Challenges to Nigeria’s Medium Power Role in Global Affairs
Assessment of the Challenges to Nigeria’s Medium Power Role in Global Affairs.
Abstract
Middle powers are nations that have considerable influence in global affairs. These countries usually take a multilateral approach to solving international problems. Therefore, middle powers identify important transnational issues and mobilize other countries to tackle them.
But middle powers must be countries with substantial power constituents – large economy and population, and strong military force.
This study examined the medium power role of Nigeria in the global space between 1999 and 2015. This study adopted the realist theory of the elements of national power as theoretical framework to provide theoretical orientation to the study.
Purposively, eight Nigerian diplomats were interviewed using the in-depth interview method. Using primary data collected through interviews and documentary analysis, the study found out that Nigeria is still a middle power that is very pivotal in African peace and stability, especially that of West Africa.
Though the findings of this work maintain that Nigeria is still influential in regional as well as global politics, her role is consistently threatened by both domestic and external threats.
These threats comprise internal security dilemma such as Boko Haram insurgency, Niger-Delta militancy, kidnappings; domestic political squabbles of corruption and economic retrogression; and the rise of South Africa, Ethiopia and other African powers.
Despite these, Nigeria remains a pivotal state in world affairs. Finally, it is concluded that Nigeria is still a middle power even though it has scaled back in many respects.
Introduction
1.1 Background of the Study
The concept of middle power is a highly contested one in both academic and diplomatic circles. Conventionally, a middle power denotes a country that is neither a super power nor a small power, but which can influence the direction of either global, continental or regional politics.
As a middle power, a country is a bridge between the great powers and small nations. But this is just a general perspective of a middle power.
Rudd (2006) writes that the concept of middle powers dates back to the 15th century European state system, when the Mayor of Milan divided the system into three categories: grandssime (empires), mezano (middle powers) and piccolo (small powers).
Rudd (2006) defined middle powers as those countries that can ―stand on their own‖ and survive in that wild and conflict- prone world system.
That is, once a country is able to defend itself against external aggression, and can also assert or declare a particular stance among countries, that country is a middle power.
Nigeria, by virtue of her population, economy and military capabilities, falls into this category through its leadership of African initiatives and by extension the Black race and the global South.
References
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