This study investigates the relationship between international power shifts and middle power behavior in foreign policy. I argue that, in times of changing global power dynamics, internal and external variables come together to create an environment conducive to heightened middle power activism. I assess how domestic politics condition the foreign policies of middle powers during power shifts. The degree of foreign policy activism, and whether it is benign or revisionist, are contingent on domestic political conditions. Middle powers and states that are aspirant to middle power status are more likely to take on more offensive foreign policies if they are facing domestic economic and political challenges at the time of the global power shift. I find evidence that states are more likely to initiate use of force in environments of strategic rivalry when they are facing domestic turmoil, and scrutinize how strategic rivalries affect middle power behavior during shifts. I also conduct a case study on Turkey, focusing on three different time frames, to demonstrate the impact of domestic politics and power shifts on foreign policy activism.
Nazli Bakir (Mon,) studied this question.