This paper argues that a prestige-humiliation dynamic is a systems-level force that shapes state behavior. Connecting psychological factors to structural realism, we observe the following: the more powerful a state becomes, the more it could seek to overturn past humiliation through aggressive prestige-seeking acts. This is done to reassert its power and status to erase past humiliation and achieve prestige even at the expense of others. Three historical examples will be discussed: Nazi Germany’s erasure of the Treaty of Versailles, China’s Century of Humiliation, and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s expansion into Eastern Europe against Russia. The paper will then define face-saving behavior, allowing a competitor to preserve prestige and avoid humiliation as a way to deescalate tension.

Rights

URN

URN:NBN:SI:DOC-9841A3VE

COBISSID

193659395

DOI

10.2478/cmc-2024-0006

Added

28.12.2025

Metadata

Citation

APA:

Kassab, Hanna Samir (2024). Prestige, humiliation and saving face. Sodobni vojaški izzivi, volume 26, issue 1, str. 81-102. URN:NBN:SI:DOC-9841A3VE from http://www.dlib.si

MLA:

Kassab, Hanna Samir. "Prestige, humiliation and saving face." Sodobni vojaški izzivi volume 26. issue 1 (2024) str. 81-102.
<http://www.dlib.si/?URN=URN:NBN:SI:DOC-9841A3VE>

Prestige, humiliation and saving face : national identity and great power politicsPrestiž, ponižanje in ohranjanje obraza : nacionalna identiteta in politika velikih sil

Prestige, humiliation and saving face : national identity and great power politics
Prestiž, ponižanje in ohranjanje obraza : nacionalna identiteta in politika velikih sil