The stability and breakdown of empire: European informal empire in China, the Ottoman Empire and Egypt

Abstract

Most theories of empire and international hierarchy have implicitly or explicitly posited disparities of power between the core and the periphery as a sufficient condition for the stability of imperial arrangements. While power is a necessary condition, it is not sufficient. Peripheral actors can resist despite power disparities, and such resistance can destabilize imperial institutions. Given this fact, the preferences and beliefs that motivate peripheral actors to seek either accommodation or to resist are of central importance for explaining empire and hierarchy. These preferences can be explained by analyzingthe complementarities between the imperial order and domestic political institutions in the periphery. This will be demonstrated through comparison of European informal empire in China, the Ottoman Empire and Egypt.