The Philippines’ acquiescent ascension
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 11829322 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Bama Andika Putra (0000-0001-5952-136X, University of Bristol, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2024 |
| Volume | 6 |
| Publication date | 2024-09-06 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Frontiers in Political Science (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2673-3145 • E-ISSN: 2673-3145 |
| Publisher | Frontiers Media (PUBLISHER • CH) |
| DOI | 10.3389/fpos.2024.1444748 |
| OpenAlex | W4402322906 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 32 |
One of the puzzles to the Philippines’ middle power status is how it responds to great power rivalries in the Indo-Pacific. As a claimant state to the South China Sea, its responses in the maritime domain could reveal unique foreign policy patterns on how middle powers respond to overlapping maritime borders. However, the middle power literature cannot make sense of the inconsistencies in the Philippines’ foreign policy vis-à-vis the South China Sea, showcasing deference and defiance policies between 2016 and 2023. This study argues that bridging role theory into middle power literature can retrieve a more nuanced understanding of how middle powers behave. Utilizing primary and secondary data, this qualitative inquiry captures state narratives of the Philippines’ role conceptions and concludes: (1) Duterte’s abandonment of the US alliance and appeasement to China as ‘active independent’ and ‘anti-imperialist agent’ role conceptions; and (2) Marcos’s alignment to the US regional order, sea-based power projections, and leverage of the Philippines’ arbitral ruling representing ‘faithful ally’ and ‘example’ role conceptions. Bridging role theory in assessing maritime diplomatic actions allows for a nuanced understanding of why foreign policy inconsistencies occur
Political science · Asian Studies and History · Philippine History and Culture · Social Policy and Reform Studies
Relocating Middle Powers
Middle Powers in International Politics
Role Theory and Foreign Policy
Role Conception of the Asia-Pacific Middle Powers
Comprehending Brunei Darussalam’s vanishing claims in the South China Sea
Hedging Strategies of the Middle Powers in East Asian Security
Caught Between Appeasement and Limited Hard Balancing
Vietnam's Emergence as a Middle Power in Asia
The Covid-19 Pandemic and the Emergence of Vietnam as a Middle Power
Regional security strategies of middle powers in the Asia-Pacific
Imagining middle powers
The South China Sea dispute and the Philippines Arbitration Tribunal
Middle power, status-seeking and role conceptions
A Role Theory Approach to Middle Powers
Explaining the Duterte Administration’s Appeasement Policy on China
From appeasement to soft balancing
Construing Indonesia’s maritime diplomatic strategies against Vietnam’s illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing in the North Natuna Sea
The Philippines’ responses to Chinese gray zone operations triggered by the 2021 passage of China’s New Coast Guard Law and the Whitsun Reef standoff
Tragedy of Small Power Politics
National Role Conceptions in the Study of Foreign Policy
The Emerging Regional Architecture of World Politics
Role Theory and Foreign Policy
Lilliputians' Dilemmas
The rise of paragunboat diplomacy as a maritime diplomatic instrument
The concept of a middle power in international relations
Rise of Constabulary Maritime Agencies in Southeast Asia
The Golden Age of White Hulls
| Unique citing works | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1 |
| Citation span | 2026 - 2026 (1) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 1 |