What explains change and continuity in the foreign policy behavior of small states? The standard emphasis is made on external and international factors with the conclusion that small states are more likely to bandwagon with threatening great powers than to balance against them. Contrary to this approach, this article suggests that state- and individual-level variables can play a greater role in explaining the foreign policy behavior of small states and that small states sometimes choose to balance rather than bandwagon, especially when elite ideology is deeply embedded in formulating foreign policy.
Gvalia, G., Siroky, D., Lebanidze, B., & Iashvili, Z. (2013). Thinking Outside the Bloc: Explaining the Foreign Policies of Small States. Security Studies, 22(1), 98-131.
