Role of Middle Powers in a Multipolar World: A Study of India, Turkey, and Brazil

The new international order following the Cold War is gradually shifting towards a situation characterized by a more dispersed power structure, in which states that are not superpowers or small states affect events through diplomacy, alliance formation, and selective alignment. In this context, this research paper seeks to assess the role that the three prominent middle powers of India, Turkey, and Brazil play in a multipolar world. Through a qualitative comparative case study using structured comparison and based on secondary data provided by the World Bank and SIPRI, the paper examines the material basis, alignment behavior, and mediation by the states in question between 2010 and 2022. It is found that all three states engage in strategic autonomy by means of hedging and issue alliances; however, each state uses different institutional basis for its role as a middle power: India depends on multi-alignment and leadership of the Global South, Turkey on NATO membership with transactional mediation, and Brazil on normative diplomacy and group politics.