СПОЉНОПОЛИТИЧКИ ЦИЉЕВИ СЕВЕРНЕ МАКЕДОНИЈЕ КАО ОДРЕДНИЦА МОГУЋНОСТИ НЕЗАВИСНОГ СПОЉНОПОЛИТИЧКОГ ДЕЛОВАЊА МАЛИХ ДРЖАВА
FOREIGN POLICY GOALS OF NORTH MACEDONIA AS A DETERMINANT OF THE POSSIBILITIES OF INDEPENDENT FOREIGN POLICY ACTION OF SMALL STATES

Author(s): Mitko Arnaudov
Subject(s): Politics / Political Sciences, Politics, Security and defense, Military policy, Geopolitics
Published by: Institut za strategijska istraživanja
Keywords: foreign policy; small states; North Macedonia; strategy; institutions
Summary/Abstract: The foreign policy of small states has never attracted much attention in international relations. For the most part, the science of international relations has not moved significantly from the traditional realist understanding that small states are de facto dependent in their foreign policy activities and forced to adapt to the interests and goals of great powers. In this paper, we analyse North Macedonia’s foreign policy goals to grasp the potential scope of independent foreign policy actions of small states. We accomplish that by analysing the various variables influencing this process. In fact, the case study of North Macedonia is an excellent example for understanding the role of small states in international relations. It provides a three-dimensional insight, viewed from the viewpoints of current global events, regional conditions, and foreign policy objectives. To comprehend the foreign policy actions of small states, we have added the internal, strategic-institutional dimension as a crucial determinant that transcends the framework of the traditional understanding of international relations. Thus, this paper has achieved a twofold goal: to explain the scope of independent foreign policy actions of small states, citing different modalities; and, at the same time, to point out the obstacles North Macedonia has faced on the path to achieving its foreign policy goals, which superficially left the impression that external factors exclusively conditioned the partial foreign policy success of this country.

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