Why Great Powers Compete to Control International Institutions

The world’s two great powers, China and the United States, are competing over international order. This article’s ecological theory of competition over international institutions argues that: (1) international institutions select for one regime type over alternatives; (2) the typical government believes that it is a core interest to preserve its regime type; and (3) great powers can shape international institutions to select for their own regime type. The article demonstrates these dynamics in great power relations in the interwar period (1919–1939).