The Agency of Small Powers - Conceptual Perspectives and Evidence from the Indo-Pacific

This book advances our understanding of small powers’ collective and individual agency in the international system. Drawing on realist, constructivist and relational perspectives, it explores such agency in conceptual terms and analyses instances of it in Southeast Asia, the Indian Ocean, and the Pacific Islands region. A further focus is on New Zealand, a small power at the global level but a regional power in the Pacific.

The book brings together contributions by IR scholars, area specialists, and (former) practitioners. They zoom in on the experience of small powers in several world regions pertaining to the Indo-Pacific in strategic terms but exhibiting quite different dynamics. Offering fresh analytical perspectives and rich empirical insights, the book is a must-read for anyone interested in small powers and agency in the international system.