중남미

Given the importance of the assertion or prevention of regional leadership for the future global order, this paper examines the strat-egies and resources being used to assert regional leadership as well as the reactions of other states within and outside the respective re-gions. Secondary powers play a key role in the regional acceptance of a leadership claim. In this article we identify the factors motivating secondary powers to accept or contest this claim. Two regional dyads, marked by different degrees of “contested leadership” are analyzed: Brazil vs. Venezuela and India vs. Pakistan. The research outcomes demonstrate that the strategies of regional powers and the reactions of secondary powers result from the distribution of ma-terial capabilities and their application, the regional powers’ ability to project ideational resources, the respective national interests of re-gional and secondary powers, and the regional impact of external powers.