Abstract
Multilateralism opens avenues for small states in the global arena, but to play a relatively significant role, they must develop a new type of diplomacy. Taking the example of small countries from the Balkans: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, North Macedonia, and Montenegro (WB5)—this chapter argues that if the smalls want to adapt to new global trends, they need to create professional, cost-effective, non-orthodox diplomacy—also known as “smart” diplomacy. Although all the five countries have made several diplomatic successes, they are often the result of “intuitive diplomacy” that relies on the expertise, skills, and knowledge of several professionals rather than a well-thought-out strategy. Hence, from a small countries’ perspective, the creation of a “smart” diplomatic service is a necessity rather than a policy luxury.
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Notes
- 1.
Andorra, San Marino, and Monaco did not have permanent representatives at the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), and their diplomats did not take part in the informal gathering co-organized by the group of small participating states.
- 2.
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- 3.
Members States of the UN, World Data. https://www.worlddata.info/alliances/un-united-nations.php.
- 4.
The Commonwealth: Small States. https://thecommonwealth.org/our-work/small-states.
- 5.
The World Bank in Small States. https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/smallstates/overview#1.
- 6.
This research is based on primary and secondary sources (in English and local languages) and interviews with former or current career diplomats from the WB5.
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The Security Council Report, official website: https://www.securitycouncilreport.org/.
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The South East European Cooperation Process—SEECP, official website: https://www.seecp.info/.
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Central European Initiative, official website: https://www.cei.int/.
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The Adriatic Ionian Initiative, official website: https://www.aii-ps.org/.
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Regional Cooperation Council, official website: https://www.rcc.int/.
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Garčević, V. (2023). Small States: From Intuitive to Smart Diplomacy. In: Hare, P.W., Manfredi-Sánchez, J.L., Weisbrode, K. (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of Diplomatic Reform and Innovation. Studies in Diplomacy and International Relations. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-10971-3_28
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