Description
Role theory conceptualizes roles as behavior patterns assigned to individuals within social structures; in international politics, roles refer to the set of norms that guide a state’s foreign policy, including its attitudes, decisions, and commitments. This article addresses an understudied aspect in the study of international relations: How do small states navigate the shifting terrain of international politics to strategically determine the roles they adopt? In the wake of the Arab Spring, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar assumed distinctive roles that challenge prevailing assumptions about small states and role theory. By examining how these states adapted their foreign policies in response to the regional upheaval, this article will advance our understanding of role-taking and role-change process among small states, especially during periods of international crisis. Through an interpretative narrative analysis of governmental documents and public statements from key state representatives, I will explore the underlying factors that influence small-state foreign policy decisions. Using a comparative approach, this study will offer fresh insight into mechanisms driving role selection and refine applicability of role theory to small-state behavior. In doing so, the article contributes both to theoretical debates in international relations and to an understanding of how small states assert agency in the global arena.
