HOW "SMALL STATES" COPE IN A WORLD OF "GREAT POWERS"

Political Strategies


• Small size can justify special protection (U.S. military help; World Bank structural assistance; European preferential trade arrangements).



• Small countries can play large countries off of each other.



• The "advantage" of location (e.g., proximity to the U.S.).



• The "moral authority" of being victimized by a Great Power.



• End of Cold War: reduced threat of U.S. intervention?


Economic Strategies


• Small size forced these states to adjust economies more quickly.



• Small size justifies arguments for "economic compensation" from former colonizers (the Lomé Convention).



• Advantage of proximity to U.S. markets.



• Cooperation is easier due to similar interests based on small markets and similar economies.