Book review : International organizations and small states : participation, legitimacy and vulnerability

Abstract

This book creatively examines the interaction of two sets of units that have proliferated during the liberal international order (LIO) that has been in place largely since the end of World War II: small states (SSs) and international organisations (IOs). The authors argue convincingly that the visibility and success of small states in international relations has been significantly due to their engagement in IOs, singly and collectively. To expound on the latter, the authors select the small island developing states (SIDS) grouping established at the UN, and its variants established in other IOs such as the IMO, World Bank, WHO, WIPO and WTO, looking at how actors from SIDS engage with such IOs, in spite of obvious human, material and financial limitations. [excerpt]