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Chapter 3: The State, Internationalism, and GoverningParties: A Neoclassical Realist Approach to FPA forEmerging PowersIntroductionWhy do states with limited disposable resources commit to foreign policies thatrequire the mobilisation and extraction of national resources in areas that do notrepresent obvious threats or opportunities? Internationalism in the foreign policiesof intermediate states poses a puzzle for analysts of foreign policy. Given theuncertainty regarding the internationalist credentials of large and powerfuldeveloping states, it appears necessary to devise, or apply, a theoretical approachthat could account for the role of internationalism, and other-regarding behaviourby states of the developing world that marries their emergent role (in terms ofcapabilities) with their particular outlook on foreign policy.This chapter makes the case for internationalism as practiced by large states in thedeveloping world, as a foreign policy instrument aimed at enlarging the scope ofinterests of a state, and hence its scope of activity; raising its internationaldiplomatic profile (allowing it to ‘punch above its weight’ in international affairs);and, increasing the extent to which it can influence smaller states and powers. Whileit may appear counter-intuitive, internationalism as a tool of foreign policy in thisway achieves a comfortable fit with the realist, especially the classical realist, outlookon international life, which privileges competition for scarce positional resources –such as “prestige, status, political influence, leadership, political leverage, a positivetrade balance or market shares”. 145 These are all hallmarks of the foreign policies ofcontemporary emerging powers. While classical realism would disavow anycommitment of the state to those living beyond its borders, 146 neoclassical realism,through the introduction of unit-level variables, highlights the role played bypolitical leadership and unit-level characteristics in determining the trajectory of145 Randall L. Schweller, “New Realist Research on Alliances: Refining, Not Refuting,Waltz’s Balancing Proposition”, American Political Science Review, 91, No.4 (December1997): 928.146 Simon Caney, “Review Article: International Distributive Justice”, Political Studies, 49,(2001): 986.79