ABSTRACT

States, and to some extent also international organizations such as the European Union and NATO, now hold a host of national and international roles that constitute their identity, regulate their behavior, and shape the international social order. The chapters in this volume situate role theory within social and IR theory and describe recent patterns of role change by states (the United States, China, Germany, Poland, Sweden, Norway), both nationally and within the social context of international organizations (the European Union, NATO) of which they are members, with a particular focus on the role of the United States as the current hegemon in international relations.