‘International Relations (IR) is a state-centric discipline as well as a power-centered discipline’ mention Neumann and Gstöhl in their introduction to the edited work on Small States in... Show more‘International Relations (IR) is a state-centric discipline as well as a power-centered discipline’ mention Neumann and Gstöhl in their introduction to the edited work on Small States in International Relations (2006). Small states have long faced resistance within the field of international relations as they defy the second part of this quotation, their relative lack of capabilities questions the usefulness or relevance of studying them. Unrecognised states defy the first part of Neumann and Gstöhl’s quotation, as these constitute ‘places that do not exist in international relations’ (Caspersen, 2012), and have, therefore, often been excluded from relevant studies. While the study of small states has proliferated, it has largely neglected unrecognised small states. The aim of this paper is to establish the foreign policy goals of unrecognised states, and explore whether small states employ similar means as their unrecognised counterparts. This paper will examine the foreign policy of Somaliland and will argue that, often, the means used by unrecognised small states converge, more than usually thought so, with these of their recognised counterparts. Show less
