scholarly journals Being a Small State: Discussion on the Role of Size

2019 ◽  
pp. 73-91
Author(s):  
Justinas Lingevičius
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Policy ◽  
Discourse Analysis ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
Empirical Analysis ◽  
Theoretical Perspective ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Small States ◽  
Small State

This paper discusses theoretical debates regarding small states and their foreign policy and also argues that research should include more analysis of small states’ identities and the dominant meanings related to being a small state. Using poststructuralistic theoretical perspective and discourse analysis, two empirical cases – Lithuania and New Zealand – are analysed with attention paid to the meanings of smallness and the ways these meanings are constructed. Empirical analysis follows with suggestions for how future research of small states could be improved.

The Role of the Academia in Foreign Policymaking: International Practices and Perspectives as Lessons for Namibia

2018 ◽  
Vol 74 (2) ◽  
pp. 215-233
Author(s):  
Peya Mushelenga
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Policy ◽  
Best Practices ◽  
Academic Discipline ◽  
Geographic Region ◽  
Small States ◽  
Small State ◽  
Ir Studies ◽  
Un Security Council ◽  
Policy Making Process

Academics for international relations (IR) studies as an academic discipline have over the years contributed to the process of foreign policymaking. Their contribution has been made through research and publications and providing advisory services to policymakers. Other platforms existing for academics are platforms for debates on foreign policy and providing training to foreign policymakers. The article discusses international experiences and perspectives, from all geographic regions, covering large states of the UN Security Council, Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) and at least one small state from each geographic region. The lecture analyses the gaps existing between academics and foreign policymakers and explores methods that can be adopted to close the gaps and create a working relationship between the two stakeholders, with a view to make positive contributions to the making of foreign policy. It highlights the challenges facing academics in making an impact on foreign policy and the approach of foreign policymakers to the contribution by academics. The article propounds that, generally, academics are more influential in large states’ foreign policy-making process, compared to small states where the process of foreign policymaking includes a few stakeholders. Further, the appointment of policymakers from the academia background impacts on inclination to the role of the academia in foreign policymaking. There are no many platforms where debates on Namibia’s foreign policy are held and a limited number of Namibian academics play a role on foreign policymaking. The article provides a framework of best practices as lessons for Namibian academics and foreign policymakers.

scholarly journals Small States and the Struggle for Power in the Arctic Region: A Case Study of Denmark

Politologija ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 94 (2) ◽  
pp. 81-108
Author(s):  
Gabija Lukšaitė
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Policy ◽  
Arctic Region ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Small States ◽  
Small State ◽  
Theoretical Approaches ◽  
International Environment ◽  
Foreign Policy Strategies ◽  
The Arctic Region

This paper examines the specifics of foreign policy strategies used by Denmark as a small state in the Arctic region. Based upon a number of theoretical approaches in terms of analyzing small state foreign policy, this study is primarily focused on how small states manage to pursue their goals in an international environment typically dominated by large powers.

Getting Ahead through Our Own Efforts: Public Attitudes towards the Deservingness of the Rich in New Zealand

2014 ◽  
Vol 44 (1) ◽  
pp. 147-169 ◽  
Author(s):  
PETER SKILLING ◽  
JESSICA McLAY
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Public Attitudes ◽  
Welfare Recipients ◽  
Future Research ◽  
The Poor ◽  
Scant Attention ◽  
The Rich ◽  
High Level ◽  
Policy Problems

AbstractThe high level of academic, public and policy attention paid to the deservingness of the poor and (especially) of welfare recipients contrasts with the scant attention paid to the deservingness – or otherwise – of the rich. This discrepancy reflects socially dominant – but contestable – ideas about equality of opportunity and the role of individual merit within market systems. In this journal, Karen Rowlingson, Stewart Connor and Michael Orton have noted that wealth and riches have remained invisible as policy ‘problems’. This invisibility is socially important, in that policy efforts to address current, socially damaging, levels of economic inequality require attention to the deservingness of the rich, as well as of the poor. This article draws on recent survey data from New Zealand to provide new insights into public attitudes to the rich. It finds that the New Zealand public view the rich as more individually deserving of their outcomes than the poor are deserving of social assistance, and that attitudes towards the rich are related to redistributive sentiments at least as strongly as attitudes towards the poor. In concluding, the article reflects on the limitations of existing data sources and makes suggestions for future research.

scholarly journals Understanding the Mechanisms of Intergenerational Social Inequality in Demographic Behavior

2021 ◽  
pp. 141-153
Author(s):  
Nicole Hiekel
Keyword(s):  
Social Inequality ◽  
Social Stratification ◽  
Family Background ◽  
Theoretical Perspective ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Cultural Perspective ◽  
Social Scientists ◽  
Demographic Behavior

AbstractIn this chapter I contrast the economic and cultural perspective of intergenerational transmission processes of social inequality in demographic behavior. I systematically compile the underlying social mechanisms that are scattered across the literature and apply them to the relationships investigated within the CONOPP project. Identifying a predominant focus on the parental resource perspective in the literature linking family background and young adult demographic behavior, I argue in favor of widening the theoretical perspective. Greater theoretical width will enable social scientists to more comprehensively grasp the persistent social stratification of demographic behavior across generations and the role of context in moderating these relationships. I conclude with some suggestions on how future research can further push the boundaries of understanding these relationships.

scholarly journals Foreign policy positioning issue of small States (on the example of the Republic of Belarus relations with the Russian Federation and People’s Republic of China)

2020 ◽  
Vol 133 (4) ◽  
pp. 113-128
Author(s):  
E. D. Salmygina ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Policy ◽  
The Political ◽  
Small States ◽  
Small State ◽  
Independent State ◽  
Republic Of China ◽  
The Russian Federation ◽  
Policy Strategies ◽  
The Republic ◽  
Foreign Policy Strategies

Small states are very weak in the political area. That is why there is a need for them to try to choose the various foreign policy strategies to defend themselves. Belarus is a small state that needs to survive in our rapidly developing and politically unstable world. Having emerged as a newly independent state as the result of the collapse of the USSR, Belarus faced a difficult choice in the decision where it was going to move further and on whom it could rely. In particular, in recent years, Belarus needs to make a subtle strategic calculation as to how to manage its relations with two important partners: Russia and China. This article considers the theory of small states’ foreign policy strategies in detail. It analyzes the choice of Belarus’s foreign policy strategies towards China and Russia. It shows that Belarus combines some characteristics from the classic small states’ foreign policy strategies, and it does not fully follow any of them.

scholarly journals Critical discourse analysis of BBC and CNN political news’ headlines on the Christchurch Mosque Massacre in New Zealand

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 707-721
Author(s):  
Mohammed Al-Badawi ◽  
Ibrahim Al Najjar
Keyword(s):  
Discourse Analysis ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
Critical Discourse Analysis ◽  
Online News ◽  
Critical Discourse ◽  
Passive Voice ◽  
Political News ◽  
News Agencies ◽  
News Headlines

Abstract This study aims at investigating the language of politics in news headlines regarding the Christchurch massacre in New Zealand from a Critical Discourse Analysis perspective to examine how power and ideology reside in texts. The data of this study consist of 39 headlines extracted from the BBC and CNN online news agencies. The data were analyzed utilizing the socio-cultural approach of Fairclough (2013). Representative examples were discussed in terms of the three stages of Fairclough’s approach. The results of the study revealed that the reporters tended to use the passive voice structure in headlines that describe the attacker in conformance with the New Zealand policy, which states that his identity should not be revealed. However, they used the active voice structure while referring to the victims, their families, and the New Zealanders at large in order to emphasize their way of dealing with the attack. In addition, the role of Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern in her legal capacity was highlighted by shedding light on her pronouncements to fight against terrorism. It was also found that the use of the metaphor as a figurative device entails that terrorism is a rare phenomenon in New Zealand.

scholarly journals Bereavement in Times of COVID-19: A Review and Theoretical Framework

2020 ◽  
Vol 82 (3) ◽  
pp. 500-522
Author(s):  
Margaret Stroebe ◽  
Henk Schut
Keyword(s):  
Process Model ◽  
Theoretical Perspective ◽  
Theoretical Models ◽  
Dual Process ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Systematic Assessment ◽  
Current State ◽  
Expert Assessments

A review of the literature on adaptation to bereavement during the COVID-19 pandemic was conducted to assess the current state of knowledge. Scopus, Web of Science and Google Scholar databases were searched for studies published during the first 6 months of the COVID-19 outbreak. 44 articles were included in the review. Narrative synthesis showed that knowledge was largely based on expert assessments of prior bereavement research and professional experience; there is so far absence of empirical evidence linking features of COVID-19 bereavement situations to health outcomes. Severe negative consequences have been consistently predicted by authors. There is still relatively little consideration of positive or compensatory processes or the possibility that these could alleviate the effect of the shocking, traumatic circumstances. With two notable exceptions, there has been lack of attention to the role of theoretical models for guiding research and practice. A theoretical perspective (the Dual Process Model, DPM) was applied to the information derived from the available articles. Two features of the DPM framework illustrated its relevance: 1. It enables systematic assessment of the range of loss- and restoration-related challenges for the bereaved; 2. It speaks for extension of psychotherapeutic intervention to manage secondary, restoration- as well as primary, loss-oriented stressors; studies have demonstrated that this may increase the effectiveness of intervention. Directions for future research and DPM application are suggested.

scholarly journals Beyond Emboldenment: How Acquiring Nuclear Weapons Can Change Foreign Policy

2015 ◽  
Vol 40 (1) ◽  
pp. 87-119 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark S. Bell
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Foreign Policy ◽  
Nuclear Weapons ◽  
International Politics ◽  
The United States ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Foreign Policies ◽  
British Case ◽  
Nuclear Acquisition

What happens to the foreign policies of states when they acquire nuclear weapons? Despite its importance, this question has not been answered satisfactorily. Nuclear weapons can facilitate six conceptually distinct foreign policy behaviors: aggression, expansion, independence, bolstering, steadfastness, and compromise. This typology of foreign policy behaviors enables scholars to move beyond simple claims of “nuclear emboldenment,” and allows for more nuanced examination of the ways in which nuclear weapons affect the foreign policies of current and future nuclear states. The typology also sheds light on Great Britain's response to nuclear acquisition. Britain used nuclear weapons to engage in greater levels of steadfastness in responding to challenges, bolstering junior allies, and demonstrating independence from the United States, but it did not engage in greater levels of aggression, expansion, or compromise. The typology and the British case demonstrate the value of distinguishing among different effects of nuclear weapons acquisition, have implications for scholars' and policymakers' understanding of the role of nuclear weapons in international politics, and suggest avenues for future research.

Agile small state agency: heuristic plays and flexible national identity markers in Finnish foreign policy

2011 ◽  
Vol 39 (2) ◽  
pp. 257-276 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mika Aaltola
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Policy ◽  
National Identity ◽  
Cultural Models ◽  
State Agency ◽  
Added Value ◽  
Illustrative Case ◽  
Small State ◽  
Historical Approach ◽  
Identity Markers

Studies of small state foreign policy tend to draw relatively bleak conclusions when it comes to small state agency. However, I will examine alternative and more positive modalities of small state agency. One such modality is agility, the strategic maneuverability to take advantage of a chancy environment. Besides leading to dangerous rigidities and biases, particular types of foreign policy imageries and heuristics may also facilitate experimental and agile agency. In studying this possibility, Finland is chosen as an illustrative case because historically Finland has faced a particularly constraining geopolitical context and because it has managed to adapt to multiple upheavals and to different geopolitical contexts. The emphasis is on the heuristic dynamics inherent in Finnish foreign policy culture that have allowed it to actively meet the emerging challenges. Instead of taking a detailed historical approach, I seek to understand the role of the relatively flexible and combinable embodied cultural models, i.e. thick images. They allow for agency-related experimentation that may bring added value that allows Finland to exceed the constraints of the brute geopolitical position. After reviewing multiple embodied foreign policy images, I will use them to analyse New Year's speeches by the Finnish Presidents Ahtisaari and Halonen in order to see how the fickle present is made to resonate innovatively with the known, commonplace, and mythical.

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