The Foreign Policy of Small Countries and Their Impact on Their Region and the Impact of Regional Conflicts on Them (Kuwait Example)

Abstract

Foreign policy is a set of strategies put in place by a state to guide it on how to relate with other states in the international system, and also to safeguard its national interests, both domestic and international. These interests can range from economic, military, security, social and political interests. Different countries have different dimensions of foreign policy, as some choose not to interfere with the affairs of other states, while others have policies which tend to meddle in the internal affairs of other individual states, such as the United States of America and France. Small states also have foreign policies guiding them on how to relate to global politics. However, these smaller states such as Kuwait are disadvantaged. This is because of their incapacity to match the larger and much stronger states. These states are smaller in size, with a smaller population, therefore increasing their vulnerability to any possible attack from the major powers. The foreign policies of the smaller states are therefore more lenient and accommodative to all the major powers so that they can elude any possible enmity with any state. After the cold war, when there was a unipolar system, states such as Kuwait had their policies inclined towards the USA. Now that the world political system is shifting to bipolar, the policies of the smaller states have been modified to accommodate neutrality.