https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/120109 2026-04-15T13:55:06Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/109187 Title: Doing politics within the confines of restrictive norms : the case of St Lucia Authors: Saati, Abrak Abstract: This article shows that prevailing socio-political norms contribute to a political culture of corruption and clientelism in the small island state of St Lucia. Drawing on interviews with members of parliament and senators, the study brings to evidence how entrenched norms determine the room for manoeuvre for these individuals to conduct their work. A political landscape has developed in which corruption has taken root, and in which there is neither political incentive nor will, to come to terms with fraudulent behaviour. The article also suggests that, on the few occasions that political representatives have attempted to act against this culture, the socio-political costs for the individual have been quite high. 2023-05-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/109186 Title: Small European states in the hybrid warfare era : the cases of Cyprus, Malta, and Estonia Authors: Adamides, Constantinos; Petrikkos, Petros Abstract: The increasing number and complexity of hybrid threat activities forces small states, especially those with limited access to material resources, to reassess their foreign and defence policies. While the variable of ‘smallness’ may be sufficient to justify their overall engagement in dealing with conventional security threats, in the hybrid arena this is not the case. Pressure is amplified in establishing or maintaining a status of a reliable mediator, partner, and strategic communicator vis-à-vis their multilateral relations with other states or organisations to which they belong. This paper focuses on how small European states, with specific reference to Cyprus, Malta, and Estonia, need to develop adjustable yet resilient policies in accommodating security needs vis-à-vis hybrid threats, that are not only pertinent to their security, but also to that of the EU bloc. As the line between war and peace becomes more blurred due to hybrid threats, the small states’ security shortcomings may also become a security problem for the EU bloc. We argue that the nature of hybrid threats is such that hybrid activities can be utilised to hurt bigger states in a bloc by exploiting the small states’ vulnerabilities. Both the defensive and foreign policy collaborations of small states with bigger states have been, and are constantly being, re-evaluated to tackle and prevent such problems. As such, two objectives are identified in this approach. The first is the small states’ quest to appear as reliable partners within the bloc. The second is to avoid being the weakest security link in the bloc’s defence against hybrid threats. This unfamiliar environment for small states prompts us to rethink security from their perspective against complex and hybrid threats, and in relation to their security role as members of large organisations such as the EU. 2023-05-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/109185 Title: Micronational claims and sovereignty in the Minquiers and Écréhous Authors: Bicudo de Castro, Vicente; Fleury, Christian; Johnson, Henry Abstract: This article examines the Minquiers and Écréhous in terms of micronational claims; factors such as the public imagination around being part of a Crown Dependency, having Norman heritage, and being on the borderlands between the Bailiwick of Jersey and the French Republic contribute to the micronational claims in the reefs. The ‘invasions’ of the Minquiers by supporters of the Kingdom of Patagonia were seen as a political protest; the use of the Kingdom of Patagonia's flag as a symbol of this protest confirms the validity of the flag as an officially sanctioned symbol. In the case of the hermits living in the Écréhous, the attribution of imagined sovereignty by claiming the title of ‘King of the Écréhous’ is associated with the peculiarities of the sovereignty of the Channel Islands and the Norman heritage that dominates the Channel Islands’ sense of identity. The use of flags in micronationality seeks an element of group cohesiveness, whereas the claims of sovereignty in the Écréhous are more aligned with place attachment and individual initiative. 2023-05-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/109184 Title: Sri Lanka navigating major power rivalry : how domestic drivers collide with the international system Authors: Samaranayake, Nilanthi Abstract: In an era of major-power competition, the alliance politics of small states are attracting more attention. This article examines the case of Sri Lanka, a small South Asian state seen as balancing against India’s interests or bandwagoning with China. Through the evaluation of international relations theories and use of data sources from Sri Lanka, this article argues that the country was not balancing against India, bandwagoning with China, or even hedging. Instead, the article will engage with new scholarship on small-state alliance strategies and suggest that the episode was driven primarily by domestic-level factors. When a smaller state faces pressure at the system level, the choices it makes are not necessarily between bandwagoning, balancing or hedging, but between the pursuit of domestic-level interests and preferences; and “bandwagoning as a last resort.” 2023-05-01T00:00:00Z