Peace and the emerging countries: India, Brazil, South Africa

Abstract

Over the course of the last decade, countries commonly designated as ‘emerging powers’ have taken on an increasing role, not only in contributing materially to international efforts at keeping, building and enforcing peace, but — more primordially — in giving conceptual contours to what vision of peace underpins these efforts. The IBSA countries — India, Brazil and South Africa — combine political and material factors (such as democracy, participation in peace operations and an openly revisionist diplomatic agenda) to provide the most cogent example of rising powers’ behaviour in this area. As each state is grounded in its own national and regional traditions, the present analysis focuses on those common factors in their approach to peace that derive from their condition as emerging powers. When placed in this context, therefore, their interaction with the concept of peace will here be primarily viewed through the lens of their relative position in the international system.