Foreign Policy of Small States

Abstract

Abstract This chapter identifies five approaches in small state studies which can be used to enable foreign policy analysis (FPA) approaches to explicitly capture small states as international actors, that is the capacity-related approach; the shelter-seeking approach; the neutrality approach; the hedging approach; and finally, the status-seeking approach. Also, FPA’s recognition of one of the common claims of small state studies regarding the nature of statehood, that all states are not functionally undifferentiated units would strengthen its distinctive field within international relations (IR). Furthermore, a more explicit focus of FPA on new security challenges of states acknowledging that small states are worse equipped to deal with them than larger states would further reinforce the FPA stand in IR. The FPA literature can also more explicitly benefit scholars of small state studies. First, FPA recognition of the significance of domestic characteristics of states strengthens the core theoretical base of small state studies; that is, small states’ foreign policy cannot be understood without taking into account domestic features of each and every state in question. Second, the identified five approaches in small state studies would benefit from the existing FPA studies on the same or related topics.