SMALL STATES’ SECURITY THROUGH INTERNATIONAL INTEGRATIONS: A THEORETICAL APPROACH
SMALL STATES’ SECURITY THROUGH INTERNATIONAL INTEGRATIONS: A THEORETICAL APPROACH

Summary/Abstract: The major shifts in international relations such as the end of Cold War and globalization rendered the traditional concepts of state security as obsolete. The need to expand on the notion of security pertained to the smaller states just as much as to the bigger ones. The small states, often underestimated by International Relations scholars, were growing in number and influence, as their role became more salient in the international realm. Nevertheless, many scholars agree that small states, as opposed to the bigger ones, are often more vulnerable to security issues. Furthermore, the latter are no longer only of military or territorial nature. Other issues, such as the economy, poverty, or identity, have grown into threats to the security of a state. Within such context, the question is: how do small states respond towards such security threats and how do they manage them? One of the strategies, which will be elaborated in greater depth in this article, is the selection of cooperation through international integration. This approach is oftentimes chosen as the most adequate way by small states to ensure their survival. The impact of international integrations, with a focus on the EU, as an expanding unique regional organization, will be analyzed for the effect it produces over the security of small and weak states, which may face external and internal threats. This scientific paper aims to provide a theoretical contribution on the securitization of small states through international integration. It will attempt to do so by presenting and juxtaposing the dominant IR theories, with an emphasis on institutionalism, as potential explanatory of the small states’ foreign policy behavior in an effort to ensure security for themselves.

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