Middle Powers: All Research and Analysis

Middle Power countries are carving out a consequential place in an increasingly divided world. Standing amid – and apart from – the Great Powers of the United States and China, these countries are challenging the idea of a unipolar or bipolar international system. Even though Middle Powers are not a coherent bloc and hold widely varying positions on key global issues, they frequently exert influence through fluid coalitions. By leveraging their willingness and ability to work with multiple partners simultaneously, Middle Powers are crafting unique strategies to advance their national interests, to influence global issues, and ultimately to shape today’s evolving international order. 

The Middle Powers Project of Harvard’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, in collaboration with the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation, is rigorously examining these countries—Brazil, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Nigeria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, and Vietnam—in recognition of their growing importance in today’s shifting international system.

The project combines a historical and theoretical basis with the timeliest scholarly and policy-facing insights, drawing on original research composed by renowned experts on each country.