Cooperating to compete: the role of regional powers in global nuclear governance

Thesis

This thesis explores the role of regional powers in the development of regional nuclear regimes. Its central argument is that the devise of regional nuclear regimes through the leadership of regional powers is driven by both functional and strategic reasons. Functionally, regional nuclear institutions serve to provide more tailored solutions to respond to nuclear risks emerging at the local level. Strategically, the formation of sub-global institutions enables regional powers to exercise considerable influence on nuclear governance processes at both regional and global levels. And in situations where regional powers are dissatisfied with the global nuclear-institutional status quo, regional nuclear institution-building provides an incomparable opportunity to question that status quo and challenge, albeit indirectly, the preferences of the United States, their main architect.

The type of leadership provided by regional powers in the establishment of regional nuclear regimes is affected dynamically by two relationships: the regional powers' relation with the United States and their relation with secondary regional players. The former relation is defined as 'global nuclear alignment' and refers to the degree of proximity of the regional power towards U.S. nuclear preferences. The latter is defined as 'regional embeddedness' and captures the degree of convergence of regional powers' nuclear preferences with those of its most proxy regional contender, as well as the level of commitment shown by the regional power vis-à-vis regional integration.

The thesis argues that when both relations are low, divergence of the regional nuclear regime from global nuclear institutions is most acute. Conversely, when only one of the relations is high, the regional nuclear regime tends to converge with global nuclear institutions, either in goals or in methods. The theoretical framework is applied to investigate three cases of regional leadership as provided by Brazil, Indonesia and France in the establishment of the regional nuclear regimes in their respective regions.

Authors: Giovannini, F

• Publication date: 2013
• DOI: 10.5287/ora-qrnnao0r6
• Type of award: DPhil
• Level of award: Doctoral
• Awarding institution: University of Oxford
• Language: English
• Keywords: Regional Powers; Global Order; Nuclear Policies; Nuclear Order
• Subjects: International studies