Small island states - stronger by design

Abstract

The world can count on a total of 61 Small Island developing States (SIDS) and Small Island States (SIS), recognized by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN-DESA), 41 of which are full UN members, and an additional 20 Small National Island Jurisdictions (SNIJs), that are associate or non-UN members (Moncada & Randall, 2022). These islands and small states are found throughout the oceanic world, including in the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian Oceans, as well as the South and East China Seas, and the Mediterranean Sea. Over and above these sovereign island states and the group of 20 SNI)s, there are further semi-autonomous islands that are exceptionally important in the world by any measure (Stuart, 2009). Some scholars have often argued that the number of sovereign and non-sovereign island entities represent a typical size in a global classification, whereas large states seem more "an anomaly" (Baldacchino, 2008, p. 40). [excerpt]