Small States and the Turning Point in Global Politics

Abstract

This book uses the theory of shelter to examine how some representative small states in NATO, MENA, and Oceania are responding to the new geopolitical, geo-economic security environment. One third of the membership of NATO are small states, and most of NATO’s partners are small states too. All the major NATO powers have strategic interests in the regions of their partner states—so any security challenges or new developments there are of direct interest to NATO priorities. The global great powers of China, Russia, and the USA are once again jostling for dominance. Each small state has finite resources to protect itself, so each must find their own way to manage relations between the dominant powers while protecting their national interests. Do small states need political, economic and societal shelter provided by larger states and international organizations? This book extends theoretical debates on the role of small states in the changing international system, as well as on the issue of how states manage their relations between the major powers in the new security environment. The SSANSE project contributes new thinking on how small states can respond to the “new normal” in international security.