The Buffer States And Their Role In International Politics |
“In our changing world, nothing changes more than geography” (Pearl S. Buck)
The concept of the nation-state system was no doubt formally originated in the 17th century, after the Peace of Westphalia in 1648. But a special type of territory, zone, or state has always been at the epicenter of traditional politics, which is known as the ‘buffer state.’ During the era of empires and kingdoms, the areas that were declared or considered neutral were kept as a strategic cushion between the two empires.
Thus, buffer states can be considered as the very first mode of creating deterrence between the two powers. In the traditional political realm, buffer states did not enjoy an autonomous role and were shadowed by the stronger political actors. However, in the modern international arena, in particular the multipolar world, buffer states are now heading towards strategic autonomy, whereby the balancing and hedging techniques are their main source of exercising agency.
This article argues that, no doubt, the nature of buffer states remained rooted in their geographical placement, but their role and scope have been evolving throughout the course of history. In today’s geopolitical world, they are playing a more proactive role whose choices of alignment could either stabilize or destabilize the regional as well as global politics.
John Chay and Thomas Ross, in their seminal work, “Buffer States in World Politics,” defined buffer states as “countries geographically and/or politically situated between two or more large powers whose function is to maintain peace between the larger powers.”
Michael G. Partem, in his article, “The Buffer System in International Relations,” stated that a buffer state is “geographically located between two rival states… small or weak… and neutral in its foreign policy.”
Trygve Mathison, in his book, “The Functions of Small States in the Strategies of Great Powers,” defined buffer states as “small independent states lying between two larger states, usually the rivals, [that] are referred to as buffer states.”
Characteristics of a Buffer Territory
Must be located between rival states, two or more big powers.
Must separate adversarial states physically or politically.
Must be small and militarily weak in their respective region.
The policy of non-alignment is their primary foreign policy approach.
Sovereignty of buffer states depends on neighbouring territories.
Difference Between Buffer States and Related Concepts
“States pursuing a policy of non-alignment during war scenarios and alliance formation, regardless of their geographical location, are known as neutral states.” Unlike buffer states, neutral states are not necessarily sandwiched between two rival powers. Examples include Switzerland and Ireland.
“States which have surrendered their sovereignty and are completely controlled by a dominating power in all matters are known as satellite states.” Unlike buffer states, satellite states exercise only nominal sovereignty. Examples include Belarus, North Korea, etc.
“A disputed territory or land area which separates one state from the other and is largely administered by a third party.” Frontier zones may or may not be independent. In contrast to buffer zones, frontier zones frequently act as a military barrier between the two nations. The frontier zone between North and South Korea is its best manifestation.
Spheres of Influence
“A region or a state that comes under the direct influence of a great power or regional hegemon is known as a sphere of influence.” Unlike buffer territories, spheres of influence must be under the domination of a single major power. Examples include Latin America under US influence and Eastern Europe under the Russian Federation.
Historical Evolution
Lagash and Umma served as buffers between the Akkadians and Babylonians. Vassal rulers were usually placed in these buffer states by empires to ensure peace and stability. Similarly, Egypt experienced threats to the south, west, and northeast. Thus, to protect valleys from outside interventions, areas including the Sinai Peninsula and Lower Nubia acted as buffer territories.
The Persian Empire was also comprised of various buffers, including Gandhara against the Central Asian nomads and Western Anatolia against the Greeks.
In Asia, the Mauryan Empire faced dire security threats from the Greco-Bactrian Kingdoms. The modern-day Afghanistan and Pakistan acted as buffer zones with vassal rulers and governors installed to protect central India.
Likewise, the Roman Empire was also confronted with various Germanic tribes and Parthians. Territories including Armenia and Mauretania served as buffer lands between Rome and its adversaries.
Russia, Prussia, and Austria were separated by the buffer territory of Poland-Lithuania. Likewise, British India and Tibet maintained a separation through the buffer territories of Nepal, Bhutan, and Sikkim. It was formalized through the Sugauli Treaty of 1815. Afghanistan was a large buffer between British India and Tsarist Russia.
Afghanistan was allowed to be sovereign to prevent imperial confrontation. Likewise, Russians and Ottomans were separated through Persia in the Caucasus. It provided Russia with certain leverage and held Persia technically independent, without any direct Ottoman-Russian war.
After World War 1, as empires got dismembered, a large number of states were born, which were located between various rival powers. Buffer zones that encompassed Poland and, in other instances, the Baltic States (Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia) were used to maintain the border between Germany and the USSR. And Austria acted as a small buffer zone between Italy and Germany.
The Soviet Union established an Eastern European belt of Soviet-friendly states, including Poland, Hungary, and East Germany, to protect its borders against NATO. In Asia, nations such as Mongolia and North Korea cut Soviet or Chinese influence from U.S.-aligned nations. This system of buffer states weakened after 1989-1991, when the communist regimes collapsed and the Soviet Union was disintegrated, which geopolitically divided Europe.
Role of Buffers in Contemporary Global Politics
From Ancient to modern times, buffer states have been playing a very proactive role, serving their very purpose of creating separation between rival major powers. Their domestic stability and political inclinations ultimately decide the future scenario regarding any regional or global war. Moreover, these buffer territories are also exploited by great powers to maintain their influence and instigate the other side, following a basic principle of international politics: “The best strategy is to hurt your enemy at its doorstep.”
One of the most prominent buffer territories was Ukraine – historically providing a space for the Russian Federation and NATO countries to coexist with each other without instigating the other side. But NATO’s continuous expansion towards Eastern Europe, which Russia considers its sphere of influence, has resulted in prolonged warfare. Knowing the fact that it’s the Russian red line, NATO with the backing of the US has been continuously expanding towards the east.
Russian officials have been continuously signaling to the west that the regime change operations inside Ukraine would result in something devastating, but the US continued its trajectory of installing western puppets in Ukraine. Resultantly, the world is witnessing a regional war between Europe and Russia, which has the potential of developing into a global war if it gets out of hand.
In the Caucasus region, which comes under NATO’s Southern Flank and Russia’s backyard, a complete buffer was created, comprising Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan. But what we are witnessing is the same process that the US implemented in Ukraine. Armenia has been a member of the Russian CSTO, whereby Russia has been the sole mediator between Armenia and Azerbaijan over their territorial conflict.
Moreover, through Armenia, Russia has been controlling the Caspian region. After engaging Russia on the Ukrainian side, the US under President Trump 2.0 is now heading towards the Caucasus region. This time the US has formally conducted a peace deal between Armenia and Azerbaijan and has established the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP), providing valuable access for the US in the Caspian region, encircling Russia from the other side.
Similarly, Nepal is a buffer state between China and India in South Asia. Nepal has adopted a neutral policy, which has given the PRC and India room to coexist, yet there is a silent war being fought in Nepal. China has constantly been gaining its influence in Nepal. China has become more influential in Nepal through its BRI project, and this raises concerns in the Indian strategic circles.
Buffers would be the future flashpoints in geopolitics and major playgrounds for major powers and regional hegemons to flex their muscles. The instability in buffer territories can lead to a future world war.
Buffers would also be a major point of peace and stability if allowed to exist on a just basis. For this, major powers have to avoid zero-sum approaches and respect the neutrality of buffers to avoid any major war.
Most of the Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific wars are circumnavigating the buffer territories, which implies that buffers are subjected to external forces and polarization. The breaking of the rules-based order has further worsened the situation.
The occurrence of WWIII is highly reliant on the stability and prosperity of buffer states.
The sole reason behind the ever-increasing role of buffer states in international politics is due to the fact that geography plays the most significant role in power politics. According to Michael Palin, “geography is the subject that holds the key to our future.” No doubt, the role of buffer territories has evolved throughout the course of history with greater agency and sovereignty, but they persist today within renewed great-power competition. Regional and global stability now mainly relies upon the dynamics of buffer states. Through consensus and a constructivist approach, major powers have to respect these zones for a better future for humanity.
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The views and opinions expressed in this article/paper are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the editorial position of Paradigm Shift.
He is pursuing a BS in International Relations programme from International Islamic University, Islamabad and has a keen interest in research works, policy analysis, defence and strategic studies and conflict resolution.
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