Definition of «The Great Power» and The Rise of Powers

Abstract

States seek to increase their security and power to survive in an anarchic international system where there is no superior authority. In our article, we deemed it more appropriate to focus on the concept of «power», which is in the center of the Realist/Neorealist approach, within the framework of «national interest». While Classical Realists see power as a major goal of international politics and foreign policy, Neorealist’s regards power as a means for states to realize their basic goal of survival. It is presumed that for a state to be able to defend its national interests, it needs to be powerful. In this context, the purpose of this paper is not to list all of the important historical events but to shed light on the status of these countries as «great» by citing the events that contributed to their being considered great. In this way, it will be possible for us to have a general understanding of the foreign policy of the great powers.