| The mainstream of contemporary international relations scholarship tends to locate the origin of international conflict in the competition between individuals and states over material goods, such as military security or economic profit. But a close reading of the foundational texts in the tradition of political realism suggests that the pursuit of prestige, a non-material end, is properly understood as an additional and independent cause of rivalry and violence. The “prestige motive” is initially defined as the individual or collective desire for public recognition of eminence as an end in itself. The insights of classical political realists—Thucydides, Machiavelli, Hobbes, and Rousseau—help to augment this definition, and the pursuit of prestige is found to be characterized by four essential elements: it is irrational, social, perpetual, and relative. In combination with the desire for security and profit, the quest for prestige is therefore one of the central causes of conflict in international relations.; Three levels of discussion frame the subsequent empirical analysis—the statesman, the nation-state, and the international system—and correspond roughly to Kenneth N. Waltz's “three images” of international relations. Beginning with the statesman, leaders across a variety of cultures are shown to seek prestige for themselves and for their nations, thus shaping national foreign policy preferences and ultimately influencing international outcomes. First image cases focus on the prestige motivated policies of Charles de Gaulle, Mao Zedong, and Wilhelm II of Germany. At the “second image” level, political collectives (nation-states) are shown to pursue prestige in their interactions with other collectives. This dynamic may be mitigated by domestic political institutions (regime type). Second image cases focus on early 20th century German aggression, the Spanish-American War, and India's nuclear tests of May 1998. Finally, “third image” forces, particularly shared cultural norms, are emphasized in an attempt to determine how specific and concrete goods or actions become associated with the pursuit of prestige. Third image case studies focus on the social-political norms of the Concert of Europe prior to the Crimean War, and on Japan's entry into Western international society during the second half of the 19 th century. |
