Small States
Iceland has no army, navy, or air force. But at the same time it’s a founding member of NATO. So why is a country without a proper military such a key part of a military alliance?
Read MoreYou probably don't know that Estonia keeps a copy of its government data in Luxembourg. In fact, it's one of only two countries known to run a data embassy abroad. But why would Estonia want to back up its most sensitive government information in a foreign country, and what can this tell us about Estonia's geopolitical dynamics?
Read MoreAndorra is one of the smallest countries in the world, and it has some very strange geopolitical dynamics. While it is sovereign, its two co-princes are always the French president and a bishop selected by the Pope, meaning that Andorrans elect their own government but have no say over who their heads of state are. But why is Andorra set up like this, and what impact is this having on European affairs?
Read MoreThe average person’s only real connection with Denmark is a LEGO set, a medication they take, or a fish they bought from the supermarket. But while Denmark is small, it wields outsized geopolitical influence. So why is Denmark disproportionately important?
Read MoreThe Federated States of Micronesia, or FSM, has only about 700 square kilometers of land, but it governs an Exclusive Economic Zone of about 3m square kilometers. That's an ocean to land ratio of roughly 4000 to 1. For a country of less than 100,000 people, that's an awful lot of territory to control, and it doesn't go unnoticed by countries like the US and China. So how does FSM's unique geographical situation influence its geopolitical dynamics?
Read MoreEven if you’ve heard of Luxembourg, you probably don’t know much about it. It may be a tiny landlocked country, but today it has the highest GDP per capita in the world thanks to a financial sector that is both its greatest asset and its most critical vulnerability. It’s also hugely important in European politics. So how did Luxembourg become so disproportionately wealthy and influential, and how does this affect the country’s geopolitical dynamics?
Read MoreYou’ve probably heard that the Cayman Islands are a tax haven for the rich, and there’s a strong chance you’ve never heard anything else about them. But the Cayman Islands are far more important to geopolitics than you’re probably aware because they are the tax-neutral legal plumbing for the global financial system, with funds reporting roughly 16 trillion USD in total assets under management. So what impact do the Cayman Islands really have on the world around us?
Read MoreBrunei is a tiny absolute monarchy split into two halves on the island of Borneo, bordered on land entirely by Malaysia with its only open frontier facing the South China Sea. It’s the surviving piece of a once vast maritime empire, but today it is approaching a serious economic and political crisis. So why did Brunei shrink to a fraction of its former self, and what is putting its remaining future at risk?
Read MoreTucked inside Italy is a tiny country of about 34000 people that claims to be the oldest republic on Earth. San Marino has two heads of state and more cars than people, but it has outlived the Roman Empire’s successors, the Papal States, Napoleon, Mussolini, and every modern European war, all without an army of its own. So how has the world’s oldest republic survived over 1700 years, and what does its survival depend on today?
Read MoreVatican City is the smallest country in the world, with just half a square kilometer of land and under a thousand residents, and it’s the only country in the world that is fully surrounded by another country’s capital. Consequently, Vatican City and Italy share a really complex and fascinating history together, particularly when it comes to the way they engage with the rest of the world. So how do the Vatican and Italy coexist when it comes to geopolitics?
Read MoreTucked between India and China is a tiny Buddhist kingdom best known for its monasteries, fortresses, and incredible Himalayan landscapes. Bhutan has only about 800000 people, but its critical position with India and China has made it disproportionately important in the realm of geopolitics. So why has such a small country managed to stay independent between two major powers, and what impact does Bhutan actually have on the world?
Read MoreThe country of Timor-Leste is Asia’s youngest state, having restored its independence in 2002 after 24 years of Indonesian occupation. But Timor-Leste is increasingly being courted by Indonesia, China, Australia, Japan, and the US despite occupying only half of a single island. So what makes Timor-Leste so interesting to the region’s far more powerful stakeholders?
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