A small state’s foreign policy communication in a changing environment

Abstract

According to traditional understandings of geopolitics and the dominant international relations theories (Realism, Neorealism or Neoliberalism), small states are mainly irrelevant players in the international arena, because of a lack of “hard power” – economic power, military power, territorial size. Issues on the global agenda are initiated and framed by “big powers”, and a small state’s position is unavoidably constrained by the transcendent security dilemma question, where balancing policy is the main option. The globalised information environment, new communication technologies and the growing role of social media in the political communication process are changing this understanding and creating a new environment in which foreign policy initiatives are formed and conducted – the increased speed of diplomatic messages, quick responses to emerging diplomatic events and crises, the breakup of hierarchies, closed societies and emerging openness, integration, freedom, and democratic tranquillity (J. Diebert 1997; E. Gilboa 2004). In this context, traditional, vertically hierarchical and closed diplomacy is losing ground and a new globally integrated, hyper-libertarian system is emerging, where information and knowledge can be used as soft power instruments (S. Nye, 2005). So, what do such changes mean for how a small country formulates and conducts foreign policy ? Are there any new possibilities emerging? Which strategies and instruments of soft power could be used to compensate for a small state’s lack of hard power resources? Can proactive foreign policy (FP) communication and communication strategies be regarded as effective tools for the promotion of a small state’s foreign policy? [...]