The Regional Subsystem Concept: From Heterogeneity to Pluralism

The study of regional subsystems dates back to the 1950s, when it became clear that the models developed to explain the logic behind the bipolar international system could not adequately reflect the specificities of regional processes. Therefore, there was a pressing need to complement traditional system level analysis with a new, subsystemic approach. The paper provides a comparative analysis of both Russian and Western definitions of the regional subsystem concept. The author examines the evolution of the regional subsystem concept research field, its current state and identifies the key competing approaches, as well as their methodological and theoretical foundations. The first section covers definitions of the subsystem concept developed by the Western researchers during the Cold War period. The author emphasizes that this initial foundational phase for the development of the research field was marked by extreme heterogeneity of views, opinions and assessments. The experts suggested various principles and criteria for identifying regional subsystems, while the very meaning of a ‘regional subsystem’ has not yet been settled. At the same time, the author shows that all the discussions during that period revolved around one central issue that is how the regional subsystem is linked to the ‘dominant’ one — a bipolar. In that regard, it is only natural that with the end of the Cold War the studies of regional subsystems faced new challenges but also gained a new momentum. The second section examines views of contemporary Russian and Western scholars. The author identifies the key discussion points, which include primarily the nature of relations between subsystem actors: whether they should necessarily be cooperative or not; if they need formal institutionalization and whether they should be organized hierarchically with a strong leading state. The author concludes that despite the absence of expert consensus on these issues, the studies of regional subsystems have come a long way from extreme heterogeneity, even fragmentation of the very basic theoretical premises, to a much greater terminological consistency but have retained the pluralism of views, opinions and assessments.

international relations theory, regional subsystem, regional studies, the Cold War, integration, level of analysis, political system

1. Bogaturov A.D. 2000. Desyat’ let paradigmy osvoeniya [Ten years of the paradigm of familiarizing]. Pro et Contra, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 195–201. (In Russ.)

2. Voskresenskii A.D. 2002. Vostok/Zapad. Regional’nye podsistemy i regional’nye problemy mezhdunarodnykh otnoshenii [East/West: Regional subsystems and regional issues of international relations]. Moscow, ROSSPEN Publ. (In Russ.)

3. Voskresenskii A.D. 2013. Istoricheskaya evolyutsiya mezhdunarodnogo soobshchestva i ee vliyanie na formirovanie regional’nykh podsistem mezhdunarodnykh otnoshenii [Historical evolution of international society and its influence on the formation of regional sub-systems of international relations]. Vestnik RGGU, no. 21 (122), pp. 83–94. (In Russ.)

4. Voskresenskii A.D. 2012a. Kontseptsii regionalizatsii, regional’nykh podsistem, regional’nykh kompleksov i regional’nykh transformatsii v sovremennykh mezhdunarodnykh otnosheniyakh [Concepts of regionalization, regional subsystems, regional complexes and regional transformations in contemporary IR]. Comparative Politics Russia, vol. 3, no. 2 (8), pp. 30–58. (In Russ.)

5. Voskresenkii A.D. 2012b. Regionalizatsiya v sovremennykh mezhdunarodnykh otnosheniyakh (Nachalo) [Regionalization in contemporary international relations: Part 1]. Vostok/Oriens, no. 5, pp. 5–17. (In Russ.)

6. Voskresenkii A.D. 2012c. Regionalizatsiya v sovremennykh mezhdunarodnykh otnosheniyakh (Okonchanie) [Regionalization in contemporary international relations: Part 2]. Vostok/Oriens, no. 6, pp. 5–12. (In Russ.)

7. Tsygankov A.P. Rossiiskaya teoriya mezhdunarodnyh otnoshenii: kakoi ei byt’? [Russian international relations theory: What should it be like?]. Comparative Politics Russia, vol. 5, no. 2 (15–16), pp. 65–83. (In Russ.)

8. Tsygankov A.P., Tsygankov P.A. 2003. Teoriya mezhdunarodnykh otnoshenii v Rossii: otchego ne speshat poyavlyat’sya shkoly? [International relations theory in Russia: Why are schools slow to appear?]. International Trends, vol. 1, no. 3, pp. 104–116. (In Russ.)

9. Shakleina T.A. 2011. Velikie derzhavy i regional’nye podsistemy [Great powers in global and regional politics]. International Trends, vol. 9, no. 2, pp. 29–39. (In Russ.)

10. Shakleina T.A., Baikov A.A. 2017. Megatrendy: osnovnye traektorii evolyutsii mirovogo poryadka v XXI veke [Megatrends. World order evolution in the 21st century]. Moscow, Aspekt-Press Publ. (In Russ.)

11. Acharya A. 2007. The emerging regional architecture of world politics. World Politics, vol. 59, no. 4, pp. 629–652. DOI: 10.1353/wp.2008.0000.

12. Ayoob M. 1999. From regional system to regional society: Exploring key variables in the construction of regional order. Australian Journal of International Affairs, vol. 53, no. 3, pp. 247–260. DOI: 10.1080/00049919993845.

13. Ayoob M. 1986. Regional security in the Third World: Case studies from the Southeast Asia and the Middle East. Boulder, Westview Press.

14. Bertalanffy L. 1950. The theory of open systems in physics and biology. Science, no. 111, pp. 23–29.

15. Berton P. 1969. International subsystems: A submacro approach to international studies. International Studies Quarterly, vol. 13, no. 4, pp. 329–334.

16. Binder L. 1958. The Middle East as a subordinate international system. World Politics, vol. 10, no. 3, pp. 408–429.

17. Boulding K.E. 1956. General systems theory: The skeleton of science. Management Science, vol. 2, no. 3, pp. 197–208.

18. Boulding K.E. 1958. Theoretical systems and political realities: A review of Morton A. Kaplan ‘System and process in international politics’. Journal of Conflict Resolution, vol. 2, no. 4, pp. 329–334.

19. Boulding K.E. 1985. The world as a total system. Beverley Hills, London, New Delhi, Sage Publications.

20. Brecher M. 1963. International relations and Asian studies: The subordinate state system of Southern Asia. World Politics, vol. 15, no. 2, pp. 213–235.

21. Brecher M. 1969. The Middle East subordinate system and its impact on Israel’s foreign policy. International Studies Quarterly, vol. 13, no. 2, pp. 117–139.

22. Buzan B., Albert M. 2010. Differentiation: A sociological approach to international relations theory. European Journal of International Relations, vol. 16, no. 3, pp. 315–337. DOI: 10.1177/1354066109350064.

23. Buzan B., Waever O. 2003. Regions and powers: The structure of international security. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press.

24. Cantori L.J., Spiegel S.L. 1969. The international politics of regions: A comparative approach. International Studies Quarterly, vol. 14, no. 4, pp. 361–380.

25. Enteshami A. 2014. Middle East middle powers: Regional role, international impact. Uluslararası İlişkiler, vol. 11, no. 42, pp. 29–49.

26. Feld W.J., Boyd G. 1980. Comparative regional systems: West and East Europe, North America, the Middle East, and developing countries. New York, Pergamon Press.

27. Hoffmann S. 1963. Discord in community: The North Atlantic area as a partial international system. International Organization, vol. 17, no. 3, pp. 521–549.

28. Hoffmann S. 1961. International systems and international law. World Politics, vol. 14, no. 1, pp. 205–237.

29. Hoffmann S. 1965. The state of war: Essays on the theory and practice of international politics. New York, Praeger.

30. Ieda O., Uyama T. 2006. Reconstruction and interaction of Slavic Eurasia and its neighboring worlds. Slavic Research Center, Hokkaido University.

31. Litsas S.N., Tziampiris A. 2019. The new Eastern Mediterranean: Theory, politics and states in a volatile era. Springer.

32. Nadkari V., Noonan N.C. 2016. Challenge and change. Global threats ant the state in twenty-first century international politics. New York, Palgrave Macmillan.

33. Nadkami V., Noonan N.C. 2012. Emerging powers in a comparative perspective. The political and economic rise of the BRIC countries. New York, Bloomsbury.

34. Özdemir H. 2015. An inter-subsystemic approach in international relations. All Azimuth, vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 5–26. DOI: 10.20991/allazimuth.167329.

35. Rapoport A. 1976. General systems theory: A bridge between two cultures. Third annual Ludwig von Bertalanffy memorial lecture. Behavioral Science, vol. 21, no. 4, pp. 228–239.

36. Shakleina T.A. 2013. New trends in subsystem formation in the 21st century. Comparative Politics Russia, no. 3 (13), pp. 33–43.

37. Thompson W.R. 1970. The Arab sub-system and the feudal pattern of interaction: 1965. Journal of Peace Research, vol. 7, no. 2, pp. 151–167.

38. Thompson W.R. 1981. Delineating regional subsystems: Visit networks and the Middle East case. International Journal of Middle East Studies, vol. 13, no. 2, pp. 213–235. DOI: 10.1017/S0020743800055306.

39. Thompson W.R. 1973. The regional subsystem: A conceptual explication and a propositional inventory. International Studies Quarterly, vol. 17, no. 1, pp. 89–117.

40. Tibi B. 1998. Conflict and war in the Middle East: From interstate war to new security. New York, St. Martin’s Press.

41. Voskressenski A.D., Boglarka K. 2019. The regional world order: Transregionalism, regional integration, and regional projects across Europe and Asia. Lanham, Lexington Books.

42. Waltz K.N. 1979. Theory of international politics. New York, Random House.

43. Zartman W.I. 1967. Africa as a subordinate state system in international relations. International Organization, vol. 21, no. 3, pp. 545–564.