New study on small state foreign policy published in the Oxford Research Encyclopaedia of Politics. The size of states is a hot topic today, in particular with the discussions surrounding Brexit and what it means for the UK's future as a global power. Recently, the Danish Finance Minister characterized the UK as a small nation, which if true, would strongly bear on the UK's power and needs. Being small is not completely hopeless though:
"Thankfully for small states, it has never been as easy being small as it is in the current international system with its unprecedented degree of peace, economic openness, and institutionalization. Small states can and do influence world politics in an international system as permissive as the current one. While small states remain highly constrained by their size, there is considerable leeway for maneuver. Small state influence is, however, contingent on the time, effort, and resources that small states put into diplomacy."