Leiden University Student Repository

Stochino Weiss, Giuliano (2020)

Small States, Small Impact? Determining the Foreign Policy Choices of Small States in the Middle East

Master thesis | International Relations (MA)

The research question is to what extent are international relations theories able to explain the foreign policy of Oman between 1970 and 2020? To answer the main research puzzle and the questions consists of three steps. First, at the outset of the study, the thesis defines the conceptual basis of small states and to choose and apply an appropriate definition. With this step, the reader will know when the chosen state can be considered small, and which actors in a particular region / globally can be included in this category. The second step considers the determinants of the small states’ foreign policy, including geography, the characteristics of the international political and economic system, the conditions of statehood, internal institutions and norms, and the identities and national interests that society and leadership have. This provides a sound basis for the third stage of the analysis, where the chapter aims to compare the practical applicability of theoretical schools and...Show moreThe research question is to what extent are international relations theories able to explain the foreign policy of Oman between 1970 and 2020? To answer the main research puzzle and the questions consists of three steps. First, at the outset of the study, the thesis defines the conceptual basis of small states and to choose and apply an appropriate definition. With this step, the reader will know when the chosen state can be considered small, and which actors in a particular region / globally can be included in this category. The second step considers the determinants of the small states’ foreign policy, including geography, the characteristics of the international political and economic system, the conditions of statehood, internal institutions and norms, and the identities and national interests that society and leadership have. This provides a sound basis for the third stage of the analysis, where the chapter aims to compare the practical applicability of theoretical schools and the role of intangible resources through a case study and to draw attention to the importance of flexible use of theoretical frameworks.Show less

Oman

Foreign Policy

Constructivism

Author

Stochino Weiss, Giuliano

Faculty

Faculty of Humanities

Supervisors

Regilme, S.S.

ECTS Credits

15

Language

en