Description
This paper identifies the distinct patterns of expressing security in small states and asks when, how and why they are likely to impact foreign policy. We argue that expressivist representation is a mechanism for small states to construct ontological security in a strategic environment characterized by little predictability and stability. Constructing ontological security through expressing security increases the capacity to navigate difficulties arising from a profound feeling of present and future safety, belonging, and trust. It is a way for small states to 'realize agency' in international affairs. We explore and unpack the link between expressivism and ontological security in small states foreign policy in three illustrative case studies and identify the lessons for understanding small state foreign policy as well as expressions of security and foreign policy more generally.
