Mocarstwa regionalne jako wyzwanie badawcze. Wybrane zagadnienia

Since the end of the Cold War regional powers play more and more important role in international relations, on regional and global level as well. Increase of scientist interest in studying of regional powers and regional power status highlighted the fact, that this category of states became a real research challenge for many reasons. Both concepts - "region" and "power" - are contested across and within disciplines. Authors disagree on what makes region and what states and why one can classify as a part of the region; disagreement is also on what power and regional power status is, and how to measure it. Many different theoretical and methodological approaches are applied, and different analytical tools, typologies, criteria of identifying, classifying, and distinguishing regional powers are in use, what makes it difficult, for instance, to compare this category of states. All of this make necessary further systematic and in depth research for better and more comprehensive understanding of regional powers, their role in international relations, in global and regional governance and in regional security orders.