Small State Constraint: International System or Domestic Politics? A Case of Nepal and Fiji

Authors

  • Gaurav Bhattarai Department of International Relations and Diplomacy (DIRD), Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal
  • Vasiti N.B. Cirikiyasawa Foreign Service officer at Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Fiji

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.3126/joia.v3i1.29082

Keywords:

Small States, Fiji, Nepal, Foreign Policy

Abstract

 Available literature on the role of small states in international relations has focused on the international system’s impact on the maneuverability of small states. The influence of domestic politics in determining the foreign policy goals of small states seems to have lacked enough deliberations. Identifying this research gap, this article aims to analyze the foreign policy behavior of small states, including Fiji and Nepal. More precisely, this write-up argues that the small states' behavior cannot be adequately comprehended if it is only assessed from the system level of analysis, as their behavior is not only influenced by external factors or the international system. This research sheds light on how domestic factors play an important role in shaping the foreign policy of small states. In this regard, the prime objective of the paper is to examine how the domestic events of 2006 in Fiji and Nepal influenced their post-2006 foreign policy agendas. The 2006 Military Coup in Fiji and the Second People’s Movement of 2006 in Nepal are examined here to appraise how foreign policy was devised and formulated to address the issues that arose out of these events, thus allowing the two countries to remain functional in the international society of states.

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Author Biographies

Gaurav Bhattarai, Department of International Relations and Diplomacy (DIRD), Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal

He teaches Small States in International Relations; and International and Regional Organizations, to the Master’s Level students at Tribhuvan University.

Vasiti N.B. Cirikiyasawa, Foreign Service officer at Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Fiji

She completed her MA in International Relations and Diplomacy from Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal.

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Published

2020-05-24

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Section

Articles