The Taiwan issue and small state survival

2019 ◽  
pp. 12-27
Author(s):  
Andrew T. H. Tan
Keyword(s):  
Small State ◽  
Taiwan Issue ◽  
State Survival

The story of small state survival: past, present, and future

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthias Maass
Keyword(s):  
The Other ◽  
Small States ◽  
Small State ◽  
Other Hand ◽  
The One ◽  
State Survival

In the previous chapters, it has been demonstrated how over more than 3 ½ centuries, the fate of small states has depended first of all on the states system. This chapter concludes the investigation with the key finding, that small state survival and proliferation are largely system-dependent phenomena. It is pointed out that the small state’s dependency and its structural irrelevance in a world of power are critical to properly understanding the issue of small state survival. On the one hand, small states are units that don’t matter much to the system. On the other hand, small states’ survival is to a good degree predetermined by the particular system in which they exist, but which they cannot shape.

Small state survival in a system of collective hegemony: the concert system, 1815–1918

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthias Maass
Keyword(s):  
International Politics ◽  
First World War ◽  
Great Powers ◽  
Small States ◽  
World War ◽  
Small State ◽  
The First World War ◽  
First World ◽  
State Survival

The 4th chapter starts with the Congress of Vienna 1814/15 and moves the discussion to the eve of the First World War. At Vienna, the so-called concert system was introduced, and it structured most of 19th century international politics. But how did the small state fare in the 19th century system? During the first half of the century, small state numbers continued to erode before the all but collapsed in the later decades of the century. These historic losses of small states, it is argued, stem largely from the particular ‘oligopolistic’ features of the concert system and its key modifiers. Small state survivability decreased as great powers formed a cartel and later split into two hostile camps.

Introducing small state survival as a historical phenomenon

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthias Maass
Keyword(s):  
Analytical Framework ◽  
English School ◽  
Small State ◽  
Road Map ◽  
Policy Relevance ◽  
Historical Phenomenon ◽  
State Survival

Chapter 1 describes the overall project, the study of small state survival. It points out the immediate policy relevance and the niche in existing scholarship that is targeted. Generally speaking, the how and why of small state survival remains critically important but also only partially understood. A further examination of existing scholarship places this study in context. It identifies where it links up with previous efforts and how the current debates will be challenged and advanced. Having thus placed the study in the scholarly context, it presents its analytical framework. Overall, the investigation proceeds within the broad theoretical paradigm of Realism, enhanced with insights from the English School. The chapter ends with annotated road map of the following chapters.

Power politics and small state survival: the classic balance of power, 1648–1814

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthias Maass
Keyword(s):  
Power System ◽  
Balance Of Power ◽  
Small States ◽  
Small State ◽  
Power Politics ◽  
Safe Environment ◽  
Large Numbers ◽  
State Survival

How safe was the largely unbridled balance of power of the 17th and 18th centuries for the small state? This chapter shows that the balance of power system was in fact rather permissive and allowed small states to survive in historically large numbers. The loose and fairly unrestrained balance of power system turned out to be a surprisingly safe environment for the small state. The chapter covers the era of the classic balance of power, which is bookended by two major peace summits, the Peace of Westphalia, concluded in 1648, and the Congress of Vienna, held in 1814/15. During this era, the particular balance-of-power that defined it was also the main cause of the moderate decline in small states numbers.

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