Weak States in the International System

Handel, Michael I.

doi:10.4324/9781315035468

Cited by 59 publications

(33 citation statements)

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“…It is always difficult to categorise states (Handel 1981;Holbraad 1984;Vayrynen 1971), but in the following, I do so based on their power resources and the influence that gives them over the Arctic. Great powers are states that have sufficient military or economic power resources unilaterally to change the political environment of the Arctic, if they wish to do so (the US, the EU, Russia, and China fall into this category).…”

Section: An Interest-based Analytical Frameworkmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Ukraine crisis moves north. Is Arctic conflict spill-over driven by material interests?

Rahbek-Clemmensen¹

2016

Polar Record

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ABSTRACT. The Ukraine crisis has led to tensions between Russia and the western states and the Arctic is one of the affected regions. Regional cooperation, institutions, and international law are essential for Arctic governance, and the crisis may thus have wide-ranging consequences for high north politics. The present article develops an interest-based model of Arctic conflict spill-over and examines its strength, based on a case-study of the first 18 months of the Ukraine crisis. Three hypotheses for Arctic conflict spill-over are developed: Arctic conflict spill-over will be less severe than spill-over in other regions, the western states will be more assertive than Russia, and the smaller Arctic states will be less assertive than the larger states. A review of the crisis confirms the bulk of these hypotheses with some exceptions, thus demonstrating that an interests-based model holds some merit, while also showing that a complete understanding of Arctic conflict spill-over necessitates a broader approach. The article concludes that conflict spillover is unlikely, but not impossible, in the Arctic.

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Section: An Interest-based Analytical Frameworkmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Ukraine crisis moves north. Is Arctic conflict spill-over driven by material interests?

Rahbek-Clemmensen¹

2016

Polar Record

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“…seeking the military and/or economic protection of one of the great powers (Bailes, Thayer and Thorhallsson 2016;Fox, 1959;Handel, 1981;Vital, 1967). Smallness is most often equated with the lack of power, and power is typically equated with capabilities (Browning, 2006).…”

Section: Understanding Small State Strategymentioning

confidence: 99%

Vulnerability without capabilities? Small state strategy and the international counter-piracy agenda

Smed

Wivel

2016

European Security

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Today, small European states regularly need to go out of area and out of tried and tested institutional settings to defend their security interests. How do small European states meet this challenge most effectively? This analysis suggests that small states can influence multilateral decisions on international security by combining norm entrepreneurship with lobbying and taking on the role as an 'honest broker'. However, economic capacity, an effective state administration and interests compatible with the agendas of the great powers are key to success. Based on a comprehensive empirical material including 19 elite interviews as well as official documents and other written material, we process trace how one small European state, Denmark, influenced the development of international counterpiracy cooperation and the development of an international counterpiracy strategy for the Gulf of Aden and off the Horn of Africa and discuss which lessons the Danish case may hold for other small states.

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“…As such, small states are more vulnerable to foreign intervention because outside powers could take advantage of domestic strife to advance their economic and ideological interests (Rapaport et al, 1971). In other words, small states are weak because they cannot defend themselves by their own efforts against any of the great powers (Handel, 1981). Since they are unlikely to obtain security using their own resources, Roshstein (1968, p. 29) states that small states "must rely fundamentally on the aid of other states, institutions, processes, or developments to do so; the small power's belief in its inability to rely on its own means must also be recognized by the other states involved in international politics.…”

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confidence: 99%

Bandwagoning, Balancing, and Small States: A Case of Sri Lanka

Gunasekara

2015

ASS

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This article reviews two popular foreign policy orientations of small states: bandwagoning and balancing. The policies show how small countries can effectively engage in addressing great power politics. The paper explores two critical foreign policy decisions made by Sri Lanka after its independence in 1948: the signing of the Defense agreement and External Affairs agreement with the British government in 1948 and proposing, as a collective decision of Non-aligned members, to make the Indian Ocean a pace zone in 1971. The first decision reflected the way Sri Lanka bandwagoned with a threatening great power: Britain. The second incident referred to its desire to balance itself against threatening powers during the Cold War. This article accepts that Sri Lanka's choice of either aligning with powerful countries or aligning with small powers in the Non-aligned movement offset disadvantages traditionally associated with Sri Lanka. The overall findings of the study suggest that both bandwagoning and balancing policies helped Sri Lanka to derive specific advantages and ensure its national interests.

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Weak States in the International System

Cited by 59 publications

References 0 publications

The Ukraine crisis moves north. Is Arctic conflict spill-over driven by material interests?

The Ukraine crisis moves north. Is Arctic conflict spill-over driven by material interests?

Vulnerability without capabilities? Small state strategy and the international counter-piracy agenda

Bandwagoning, Balancing, and Small States: A Case of Sri Lanka

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