The power of disrespect: Overt impoliteness and hierarchy in leader-level diplomacy

Why do leaders of weaker states employ overt impoliteness in their highest-level engagements with dominant counterparts? Despite growing interest in impoliteness in international relations, little is known about its use by weaker states against stronger ones. This article addresses this gap by conceptualising impoliteness as a pragmatic bargaining resource in asymmetric relations, focusing on encounters between US leaders and their Middle Eastern counterparts. We argue that smaller states resort to impoliteness when political gains outweigh potential costs, particularly under conditions that reduce the risks of retaliation. In such moments, impoliteness serves to consolidate domestic legitimacy, project autonomy, express dissatisfaction with unequal partnerships, and signal aspirations for higher status. Drawing on case studies of US leaders’ receptions in Saudi Arabia and Turkey, we show that overt impoliteness is not a breakdown of diplomacy but a strategic instrument through which weaker states exercise agency and reframe hierarchy.