Opinion | Is this the era of middle powers? Yes and no

Middle powers dominate the headlines. They entangle superpowers in wars. Their friendshoring opportunities lure global companies. They challenge unfair trade practices, press for climate change mitigation and seek redress for humanitarian wrongs.

Their leaders anxiously court each other to amass power through alliances. Their monopolies over critical resources roil the global economy. Some have forced unprecedented migration from their lands while others have offered shelter to diasporas.

This sweep of events suggests to Dino Patti Djalal, chair of the Foreign Policy Community of Indonesia, that “the world order will be shaped … by the proliferation of middle powers”, the group of countries too small to be superpowers but strong enough to punch above their weight. President Xi Jinping’s many visits to middle powers since taking power in 2012 attests to their economic and strategic importance, as does the Belt and Road Initiative.

Similar claims have been made ever since city-states emerged in northern Italy during the Renaissance, and especially since World War I as global power became more diffuse. Under the shadow of superpowers, middle powers are balancers restoring equilibrium, kingmakers tipping the scales to one superpower’s benefit and Machiavellians playing one side against the other to their advantage.

Middle powers emerged during the rise of nation-states. Great powers have exploited middle powers as pawns, security cordons or vassals for revenue, troops, ports and resources.