Critics Review: 

• "This important book on the soft power of Bhutan and Qatar deserves a wide readership among students of small state diplomacy" - Professor Anders Wivel, University of Copenhagen, Denmark.

• "While the book offers a unique and important exploration of the domestic and foreign policy goals and strategies of two under-researched states, it is the theoretical innovations that will remain with the readers. Instead of reinventing the wheel, Theys has plotted a considered and cautious path between the old and new, offering a carefully revised understanding of both how to define smallness and how to understand and analyse soft power that these states exercise. Scholars of small states politics and asymmetrically driven normative and foreign policy change should make sure this book is on their reading lists" - Dr Liam Moore, James Cook University, Australia. Reviewed in International Affairs.

• The Soft Power of Non-Western Small States made it to the top 10 International Affairs summer reading list 2025:

'If Mahbubani provides practical experience of small states’ diplomacy, Sarina Theys turns to Bhutan and Qatar to challenge conventional notions of power and size. While Theys is not the first to recognize the influence of small states in global politics, her latest book offers an intersubjective understanding of smallness and identity. In other words, Theys takes into consideration Bhutan’s and Qatar’s efforts regarding identity projection, mapping out their multiple identities before observing how these efforts translate (or fail to translate) into soft power influence. Overall, this is an empirically rigorous and conceptually innovative book that pushes the boundaries of western-centric literature. Check out our review for additional insights on the rather serendipitous case-study selection.'