Great Power Competition Across States and Quasi-States: Toward a Comparative Typology

Abstract: Traditionally, geopolitical scholars focus on how great powers compete for influence over small states and how small states navigate such competition. This special issue endeavors to transcend the "great power–small state" framework and to reorient both states and quasi-states as critical actors of contemporary great power competition, using the Indo-Pacific and Eurasia as the research sites. It advances a comparative typology that encompasses the dynamics of great power competition across different ideal types of states and quasi-states, including small states, associated states, contested states, and territorial autonomies. By doing so, this special issue opens up a new agenda of investigating the interaction of states and quasi-states in international relations scholarship.