1,720,967 research outputs found
[Book Review] Small states and the new security environment
No full textThe world has witnessed a whirlwind of changes since 2021, with events like Russia’s
invasion of Ukraine, Finland and Sweden’s entry into NATO, along with the resurgence of
instability in the Middle East. Against this backdrop, one might assume that a collective volume
on small state security published in 2021 would already be outdated. However, Small states and
the new security environment carries a unique relevance and, despite being authored before 2021,
offers a vital foundation to comprehend these post-2021 developments.
This edited volume boasts several commendable strengths. Firstly, within the vast landscape
of edited volumes, it distinguishes itself by maintaining a consistent and focused narrative centred
around small state shelter theory (a brainchild of co-editor Baldur Thorhallsson). Each chapter in
this volume focuses on the theory, analysing specific cases and a plethora of issues, thus
contributing to the theory’s expansion. Some chapters delve more profoundly into this endeavour
than others; but the overall approach is a testament to the book's academic rigour and coherence.peer-reviewe
Opportunity seekers and value creators : a new framework for understanding small-state diplomacy
Get PDFSmall states offer valuable insights by demonstrating how agency, strategy, and
adaptability can enhance diplomatic standing. This paper introduces the Opportunity-Seeking and
Value-Creation Framework, explaining how small states can enhance their diplomatic standing by
acting as opportunity seekers and value creators. Opportunities arise from structural, material,
ideational, or technological shifts, but require entrepreneurial action—harnessing new means,
setting new ends, or introducing novel means-ends combinations—to generate value. The
framework systematizes how small states can "punch above their weight," demonstrating that
agency and strategic action are essential for converting opportunities into lasting diplomatic gains.
Greece’s diplomatic comeback after a decade-long economic crisis highlights this dynamic. Once
dismissed as Europe’s weakest link, Greece strategically repositioned itself by capitalizing on its
pandemic response and green transition, among others, aligning national priorities with broader
European and global agendas. By seizing opportunities and generating value, Greece not only
addressed domestic vulnerabilities but also strengthened its diplomatic standing.peer-reviewe
The (Small) State of the Union: Assessing the EU's Ability to Implement Its Global Strategy
No full textThe European Global Strategy (EUGS) is a significant document that came out at a critical time. Decision makers and scholars need to identify and assess the challenges the EU is facing in its effort to pursue its new Strategy. This paper addresses the lack of a tool for identifying those challenges and assessing the EU's ability to respond to them by introducing a new analytical framework based on the conceptualization of the EU as a small power in the international system, and the literature about the international relations of small states. The framework combines the factors that impact upon a small state's behaviour and performance in the international system and consists of the following elements: a) the EU's relations with the great powers in the system, b) developments in the EU's neighbourhood, c) the EU's politics, and d) the EU's reputation. After discussing each one of them, the paper contributes a comprehensive assessment of the EU's ability to implement its Strategy. It concludes that in order to implement its Strategy, the EU should respond to specific challenges. Therefore, the framework this paper introduces can improve our understanding of both the EUGS and the Union's strengths and weaknesses, shed some light on what measures should be taken for the Union to respond to challenges that lie ahead and be used as a yardstick to assess the Union's progress. Moreover, the framework can be applied to other areas of the EU's external action and contribute to both drafting better informed strategic documents and supporting their implementation.271437
Small State Diplomacy after the Corona Crisis
No full textThe aim of this essay is to discuss and assess the effects of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic on small state diplomacy. The essay identifies the characteristics of successful small state crisis diplomacy and unpacks the implications for small state diplomacy in general. Small states crave stability and predictability and seek shelter from international institutions and great powers. International crises are understood as particularly acute for small states because the limited capacity and capabilities of these states leave them with a small margin of time and error and vulnerable to risks and threats. However, small state diplomacy in the spring 2020 corona crisis illustrates the potential of activist small state diplomacy using smart and entrepreneurial policies to forge plurilateralist small- and middle-power co-operation.The aim of this essay is to discuss and assess the effects of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic on small state diplomacy. The essay identifies the characteristics of successful small state crisis diplomacy and unpacks the implications for small state diplomacy in general. Small states crave stability and predictability and seek shelter from international institutions and great powers. International crises are understood as particularly acute for small states because the limited capacity and capabilities of these states leave them with a small margin of time and error and vulnerable to risks and threats. However, small state diplomacy in the spring 2020 corona crisis illustrates the potential of activist small state diplomacy using smart and entrepreneurial policies to forge plurilateralist small- and middle-power co-operation
From the ‘Small but Smart State’ to the ‘Small and Entrepreneurial State’: Introducing a Framework for Effective Small State Strategies within the EU and Beyond
No full textAs the current international system is leaning towards multipolarity, small states face the danger of their influence being diminished and their interests being ignored. Small states in Europe and within the European Union might find themselves in such a predicament. In order to overcome it, they are in need of effective strategies. Literature on the international relations of small states suggests that, despite their limitations, small states are able to pursue their goals and succeed in the international system. Small state studies employ the ‘small but smart state’ concept for a small state that can maximize its influence. Despite being widely used, the latter lacks analytical value and remains a cliché. The objective of this article is to pin down the ‘small but smart’ state strategy and based on that to provide a comprehensive framework for the analysis and the design of effective small state strategies. We suggest that the ‘small but smart’ state strategy shares many elements with the entrepreneurial action, as the latter is extended from its business origins to include a specific strategy. We draw on the field of entrepreneurship to explore the ways it can enhance our understanding of the international relations of small states and we introduce a framework for the ‘small and entrepreneurial state’ strategy. The notion of the ‘small and entrepreneurial state’ adds more depth and rigor into our small state analyses as well as reinvigorates a fragmented and repetitive literature. Last but not least, our ‘small and entrepreneurial state’ approach can be of use for both small state scholars and policy makers.9131
Small states navigating shelters and political shocks: the republic of Cyprus between EU sanctions and multivector foreign policy
No full textThis paper explores the geopolitical implications of EU sanctions on Russia for the Republic of Cyprus (RoC), employing small-state shelter theory and foreign policy analysis. It investigates whether these sanctions entrapped the RoC within its EU shelter or facilitated a Western-oriented emancipation. The study examines Cyprus's unique relationship with Russia, underpinned by economic, historical, and political ties, and its recent multivector foreign policy shift towards the US and the EU. Utilising a sample of 35 elite interviews and a public opinion survey of 505 participants, the paper highlights the political shock induced by the Ukraine war and subsequent sanctions, which strained Cyprus's multivector approach and its relations with Russia. The findings reveal a significant rift between elite and public perceptions: elites broadly support the EU sanctions and view them as a pivot towards the West, while the public disapproves of the sanctions, favouring a dual-track foreign policy. This divergence could potentially pose challenges to domestic unity and consensual politics. The study contributes to small state literature by proposing that shelters can be sources of political shocks and offers insights into Cypriot foreign policy dynamics, providing valuable perspectives for researchers and policymakers in Cyprus and the EU
Θεωρία διεθνών σχέσεων: μικρά κράτη στο διεθνές σύστημα
No full textThis thesis focuses on Small States in the international system. It explores the body of literature that concentrates on the international relations of Small States in the hope that it will bridge the existing gap in the accumulation of knowledge and open up new questions for research. By collecting, compiling, summarizing and synthesizing the different contributions to the field, my aim is to create a systematic and coherent body of information that will enhance our knowledge of the existing research, shed some light to our understanding of the Small State in International Relations and stimulate some new efforts in the field. The thesis is divided into five chapters. The first chapter is an introduction to the thesis. The second chapter deals with the question of the definition of Small States. I collect and classify the different definitions available in the literature into six different categories. I evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of each of them and I look for the common points among them which I believe that constitute the essence of the concept of Small State and the glue that unite the Small State scholars in one field. The third chapter focuses on the “power of the weak”. It seeks to identify the power resources of the Small States and the factors that influence their behaviour. The goal of this chapter is to unveil the common points and concerns among the different studies in order to create a framework of analysis of the Small State behaviour based on the synthesis of the different views in the field. In the fourth chapter, the issue of the common pattern of behaviour comes to the forefront. The fact that different Small States make different choices, even under the same structural conditions have caught Small State scholars by surprise and triggered much of the interest in the research of the Small States. The differences in the Small State choices were also key to the critics of the study of the Small States. Based on the previous findings I discuss whether we should expect a dominant pattern in Small State behaviour; if the differences in the choices of the Small States reveal that they do not have anything in common; how they differ from the Great Powers and finally whether there is a common pattern of Small State behaviour. I attempt to unpack what smartness means in the context of the International Relations of Small States and reconsider the concept of the “small but smart” state. To this end, I employ insights from research on entrepreneurship. In the fifth chapter, I summarize and evaluate the findings of the thesis and based on them I draw some directions for future research in the field of the International Relations of Small States.H παρούσα διατριβή ασχολείται με τα Μικρά Κράτη στο διεθνές σύστημα και επικεντρώνεται στη μελέτη της βιβλιογραφίας επί των διεθνών σχέσεων των Μικρών Κρατών. Kαταγράφει, συνοψίζει, αποτιμά την υπάρχουσα βιβλιογραφία, αναλύει και συνθέτει τα ευρήματα, προκειμένου να παρουσιάσει ένα συνεκτικό πλαίσιο ανάλυσης των Διεθνών Σχέσεων των Μικρών Κρατών. Σκοπός της διατριβής ειναι να καλύψει το κενό που έχει διαπιστωθεί διαχρονικά στη βιβλιογραφία των Μικρών Κρατών και αφορα την ελλιπή γνώση μας για την έρευνα στις διεθνείς σχέσεις των Μικρών Κρατών και την αξιοποίηση των υφιστάμενων ερευνητικών αποτελεσμάτων. Τα πέντε πιο σημαντικά στοιχεία που συνεισφέρει η διατριβή στο επιστημονικό πεδίο των Διεθνών Σχέσεων και πιο συγκεκριμένα στη μελέτη των Μικρών Κρατών είναι: 1 Η κάλυψη του κενού της συλλογής της υπάρχουσας γνώσης για τα Μικρά Κράτη που έχει διαπιστωθεί διαχρονικά από πολλούς μελετητές. 2 Η συλλογή, κατηγοριοποίηση και κριτική ανάλυση της βιβλιογραφίας που γίνεται σε έκταση που δεν είχε πραγματοποιηθεί μέχρι σήμερα και με τέτοιο τρόπο, ώστε να παρουσιάζει τη συνοχή στο πεδίο μελέτης των Μικρών Κρατών, να προσφέρει υποθέσεις εργασίας για νέες μελέτες, αλλά και συμπεράσματα για τη διαμόρφωση πολιτικής. Έτσι, επιτρέπει την αξιοποίηση της υφιστάμενης γνώσης, αλλά και την αναγνώριση υποδειγμάτων συμπεριφοράς Μικρών Κρατών, η έλλειψη των οποίων αποτέλεσε εμπόδιο για την ανάπτυξη του πεδίου σύμφωνα με μελετητές των Μικρών Κρατών. 3 Η σύγκριση των κύριων ευρυμάτων που προκύπτουν από την ανάλυση των μελετών των Μικρών Κρατών με τις αρχές του Ρεαλισμού και το συμπέρασμα ότι η συμπεριφορά των Μικρών Κρατών, αλλά και η μελέτη της, έχει περισσότερα κοινά σημεία με τον Ρεαλισμό, αντίθετα με ό,τι υποστηρίζεται από άλλους μελετητές . 4 Η εισαγωγή της έννοιας του “επιχειρηματία”, όπως συναντάται στις μελέτες για την επιχειρηματικότητα, για την περαιτέρω ανάλυση της έννοιας του “μικρού, αλλά έξυπνου κράτους”. 5 Η ανάδειξη κενών στη βιβλιογραφία των Μικρών Κρατών, όπως για παράδειγμα, σχετικά με τη χρήση σκληρής ισχύος από τα Μικρά Κράτη, με τις διαμάχες των Μικρών Κρατών μεταξύ τους ή μεταξύ Μικρού Κράτους και Μεγάλης Δύναμης, αλλά και η γεωγραφική διεύρυνση της μελέτης των Μικρών Κρατων στην Ευρώπη προς την Κεντροανατολική Ευρώπη και τη Μεσόγει
From the ‘Small but Smart State’ to the ‘Small and Entrepreneurial State’: Introducing a Framework for Effective Small State Strategies within the EU and Beyond
No full textAs the current international system is leaning towards multipolarity, small states face the danger of their influence being diminished and their interests being ignored. Small states in Europe and within the European Union might find themselves in such a predicament. In order to overcome it, they are in need of effective strategies. Literature on the international relations of small states suggests that, despite their limitations, small states are able to pursue their goals and succeed in the international system. Small state studies employ the ‘small but smart state’ concept for a small state that can maximize its influence. Despite being widely used, the latter lacks analytical value and remains a cliché. The objective of this article is to pin down the ‘small but smart’ state strategy and based on that to provide a comprehensive framework for the analysis and the design of effective small state strategies. We suggest that the ‘small but smart’ state strategy shares many elements with the entrepreneurial action, as the latter is extended from its business origins to include a specific strategy. We draw on the field of entrepreneurship to explore the ways it can enhance our understanding of the international relations of small states and we introduce a framework for the ‘small and entrepreneurial state’ strategy. The notion of the ‘small and entrepreneurial state’ adds more depth and rigor into our small state analyses as well as reinvigorates a fragmented and repetitive literature. Last but not least, our ‘small and entrepreneurial state’ approach can be of use for both small state scholars and policy makers
What Future for Small States After Unipolarity?:Strategic Opportunities and Challenges in the Post-American World Order
No full textAfter three decades of US unipolarity, the international system may be on the brink of transformation. Although the combined capabilities of the United States remain stronger than those of any other state in the international system and the United States remains unrivalled in defence spending and research and development, the American superpower no longer has the same ability to set agendas and impose preferences as in the immediate post-Cold War era. This chapter provides an overview of existing knowledge of links between different types of polarity and the challenges and opportunities of small states. We use this overview of existing knowledge as starting point for a comparative discussion of small state strategy under continued (weakened) unipolarity, bipolarity, multipolarity and non-polarity. We argue that in a world dominated by US- and China-led bounded orders, small states must choose their battles wisely, prioritize their resources and build networks with like-minded small states
The power (politics) of the weak revisited:Realism and the study of small-state foreign policy
No full textThis chapter argues that realism offers important insights for the study of small states. By looking into four iconic realist works, we show that the popular view that small states defy realist expectations because these states can ‘punch above their weight’ is mistaken. Realists do not dismiss the ability of lesser powers to overachieve under certain systemic or state-specific circumstance. In contrast, realists specify how small states can overachieve under certain systemic or state-specific circumstances such as intense competition among great powers, possession of assets of value to great powers, national morale and character, high-quality diplomacy and a good reputation. Our argument proceeds in three steps. First, we map current debates in the study of small states in international affairs identifying central positions and lacunas in the literature. Second, we present a reading of iconic realist works showing how they help us to fill the lacunae of current debates. Finally, we conclude the paper with a discussion of implications for the study of small states and international relations
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