Blendi LAMI
| Abstract: | The trajectory of Albania’s foreign policy illustrates how small states navigate the constraints of an anarchic international system by blending realist survival imperatives, institutional engagement, and identity-building. This paper examines Albania through the analytical lens of “small but smart” state behaviour. From a realist standpoint, Albania’s vulnerability, limited capabilities, and unstable neighbourhood compelled it to seek security through alignment with dominant Western powers, notably the United States, NATO, and the European Union. This reflects patterns of band wagoning and hedging, in which small states maximize survival by attaching themselves to protective alliances. Yet Albania’s strategy extends further, seeking institutional “shelters” and conditionality frameworks. Liberal institutionalist insights explain how Albania leverages multilateral frameworks to stabilize orientation, anchor reforms, and amplify visibility disproportionate to its size. Constructivist perspectives highlight the symbolic dimensions of Albania’s diplomacy. By projecting itself as a responsible, cooperative, pro-Western actor, Albania leverages its “intersubjective smallness” as a source of credibility and soft power. The paper argues that Albania increasingly reflects Ian Bremmer’s “pivot state” logic: while lacking material weight, it displays agility in managing asymmetry, embedding within Western structures while maintaining regional flexibility. This trajectory shows how small states can convert vulnerability into relevance in a fragmented order. |
| Keywords: | small states, smart diplomacy, institutional lock-in, pivot state |