Legitimate Regional Powers? A Failed Test for Ethiopia, Nigeria, and South Africa

Building on legitimacy theory, this article discusses the impact of the regional leadership of Ethiopia, Nigeria, and South Africa on regional security dynamics. It argues that regional powers are accepted as leading powers in their respective regions only if they can fulfill three conditions: domestic legitimacy (economic and political performances), regional legitimacy (recognition and compliance by regional states), and international reliability (whether their international alliances with various global powers support or counteract their regional leadership). The article compares and contrasts the characteristics of these three states and their respective regions in order to assess whether these regional powers are stabilizers or spoilers. Though various studies have analyzed regions and power, they have neglected the issue of legitimacy.