Power changes and status
The existence and rise of the pivotal states
Pivotal State: A category of states that occupy or seek to establish a position within a geographic region parallel to the role played by superpowers
Latin America
South America
Central America
Mexico
Argentina
Brazil
Deal with the United States on its border and other central american countries
Africa and Southeast Asia lack a pivotal state
Contributes to regional disorder
Competition for pivotal state in the middle east
If an outsider wants to enter a region it must identify who the pivotal state is in order to succeed in the region
When there is conflict over the pivotal states outsiders may have to choose sides
Pivotal states in the middle east
No pivotal state
Iran
Saudi Arabia
Israel
Oldest
Largest population
Would be prosperous if american sanctions were lifted
Larger
Home to mecca and medina, the holiest sites of islam
Oil wealth
Military weapons
True arabs
Stronghold of shia faith
Head of sunni islam
Barriers to pivotal state status
Not diplomatic with the US since the hostage crisis
Cooperative relations between Saudi and Israel
Israel's nuclear power
Barriers to pivotal status
Must modernize to become internationally respected
Support from the trump administration
Connecting israeli technological and educational advances to gulf oil money
Ethnically different than the arabs