This book seeks to explain why weak states exist within the international system. Using the cases of Armenia, St. Kitts and Nevis, Lebanon, and Cambodia, the author argues that, if a state is weak and vulnerable, then it can practice an unexpected degree of relative autonomy unfettered by great powers.
'Since the field of international relations is dominated by varieties of realism, especially structural realism, it is largely irrelevant for understanding the policies of 95 percent of the states in the world. It really focuses on the competitive relations of the great powers and little else. In this innovative study Hanna Kassab demonstrates that, with modifications of a few of its assumptions, a realist perspective can help one understand that the behavior of weak states is not limited to bandwagoning.'
Roger E. Kanet, University of Miami, USA
Roger E. Kanet, University of Miami, USA