The fall of the Berlin Wall and the disintegration of the Soviet Union were only two of the many events that profoundly altered the international political system in the late 1980s and early 1990s. In a world no longer dominated by Cold War tensions, nation states have had to rethink their international roles and focus on economic rather than military concerns. This book examines how two middle powers, Australia and Canada, are grappling with the difficult process of relocating themselves in the rapidly changing international economy. The authors argue that the concept of middle power has continuing relevance in contemporary international relations theory, and they present a number of case studies to illustrate the changing nature of middle power behaviour.

Andrew F. Cooper is the associate director of the Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI) and a professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Waterloo. His research interests include international institutional reform, diplomatic innovation and practices, and celebrity diplomacy.

Agata Antkiewicz is a senior researcher at the Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI), where she oversees the BRICSAM and economic governance projects. Her articles have been published in numerous international journals.

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A welcome addition to the literature on the comparative study of Canadian and Australian foreign policy, this book also serves as a timely counter to the wave of literature exploring the “new world order” role of the United States; it reminds us that other players are present and can shape events.

Canadian Book Review Annual

This well-organized and clearly written book succeeds in establishing that a focus on the intellectual and entrepreneurial leadership of middle powers yields a significant gain in explanatory power when used to complement more orthodox approaches to the collective action problems inherent to forging cooperative international institutions. For those seeking an antidote to the great power chauvinism and often parochial character of much American scholarship on questions of leadership, hegemony, cooperation and world order, Relocating Middle Powers provides an informative and provocative alternative.

American Political Science Review