Is Romania a Middle Power? A Neoclassical Realist Interpretation of Post-communist Romania’s Foreign Policy
Is Romania a Middle Power? A Neoclassical Realist Interpretation of Post-communist Romania’s Foreign Policy

Summary/Abstract: The paper investigates whether Romania is a middle power in the EU and NATO framework, considering the national capabilities and the foreign policy decisions in the post-communist period. The study explores the hierarchical dimension of middle powers through a material capabilities assessment based on the Composite Index of National Capabilities (CINC) developed by the Correlates of War project, and through the soft power measurement offered by the Elcano Global Presence Index. Additionally, by employing a neoclassical realist framework of analysis, the paper explores whether the behaviors developed, and the functions performed through the national foreign policy contribute to the middle power status of Romania. The study concludes that, while Romania can be hierarchically labelled as a middle power, it does not fulfill the functions of a middle power in the European context.

• Details
• Contents