Status quo state is a term from power transition theory within the wider field of

international relations International relations (IR), sometimes referred to as international studies and international affairs, is the Scientific method, scientific study of interactions between sovereign states. In a broader sense, it concerns all activities betwe ...

. It is used to describe states, that unlike

revisionist state Revisionist state is a term from power transition theory within the wider field of international relations. It describes states whose objective is to change or put an end to the current system. The term assumes a direct correlation between a stat ...

s, see the international system of states, international law and often even free market economics as integral aspects of the international spectrum that should be upheld. Status-quo states strive to preserve things as they are, whereas revisionists seek to change things in international politics. When scholars categorize states as revisionist or status-quo seeking they are able to explain important outcomes in international politics, such as war and peace. Generally, there is a direct correlation between a state's hegemony, both political and economic and its standing as either a status quo state or a revisionist state. Powerful and influential nations in international relations such as the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan ar ...

and other nations like Japan who have benefited from western liberalism, are likely to fall under the category of status quos states, while

North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu (Amnok) and ...

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkm ...

, and other nations dissatisfied with their place on the international stage are often considered revisionist states. Countries

Characteristics of status-quo states

A system consisting mostly of status-quo states need not devolve into war. Moreover, if status-quo states recognize each other as such and are not threatened by each other, they should be confronted with fewer cooperation-inhibiting problems (e.g.,

relative gain Relative gain, in international relations, is the actions of states only in respect to power balances and without regard to other factors, such as economics. In international relations, cooperation may be necessary to balance power, but concerns ...

concerns) than they would if they feared others' intentions. In '' The Origins of Revisionist and Status-Quo States'', Davidson mentions that according to the neoclassical realist framework, it points toward "new facts", where they explain that periods of "concert" can occur when all or most states are committed to preserving the status quo. The author also explains this with the example of the

Concert of Europe The Concert of Europe was a general consensus among the Great Powers of 19th-century Europe to maintain the European balance of power, political boundaries, and spheres of influence. Never a perfect unity and subject to disputes and jockeying f ...

the Concert of Europe (1815-54)
/ref> in which states were able to hold those norms and follow those rules because they were status-quo seekers and understood that their neighbors were also committed to the status quo. Revisionist and status-quo states have been the core of the history of international relations. As the history of

great power A great power is a sovereign state that is recognized as having the ability and expertise to exert its influence on a global scale. Great powers characteristically possess military and economic strength, as well as diplomatic and soft power inf ...

war and peace may be seen as a series of clashes between revisionists and status-quo seekers. Moreover, status-quo states may ally with the most powerful state in the system if it is also a status-quo state, because they should not fear such a state and because they prefer to have defensive coalitions that are too large rather than too small.

References

{{Reflist
Lemke, D., & Reed, W. (1996). Regime types and status quo evaluations: Power transition theory and the democratic peace. ''International Interactions'', ''22''(2), 143-164.

Li, K. W., Kilgour, D. M., & Hipel, K. W. (2005). Status quo analysis in the graph model for conflict resolution. ''Journal of the Operational Research Society'', ''56''(6), 699-707.
International relations terminology States by power status