Dr Sarina Theys - Publications

My research demonstrates a coherent and sustained trajectory characterized by intellectual independence, methodological rigor, and original contributions to and beyond the field of International Relations.

I have produced a consistent record of peer-reviewed outputs in reputable journals and publishers. These publications reflect:

· Original theoretical and conceptual contributions

· Methodological innovation and robust research design

· Engagement with international scholarly debates

· Clear advancement of knowledge beyond the current state of the art

Theys, S. (2025) The Soft Power of Non-Western Small States: The Cases of Bhutan and Qatar. Oxon and New York: Routledge.

Critics Review:

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

'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.'

"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 book’s main contribution lies in its innovative methodological approach, offering much-needed tools to explore how these states project soft power despite limited material capabilities and adverse physio-geographic and geopolitical constraints. Theys’ work provides a major service to the literature, offering a valuable dual contribution: on the one hand, it addresses the longstanding definitional dilemma that has permeated the small-state debate for over seven decades by asserting that the meaning of “small” is not fixed but a socially constructed and dynamic phenomenon. On the other hand, by expanding our understanding of how smallness is perceived, utilised, and received within non-Western paradigms, Theys elevates the discourse on soft power by framing it as an outcome-oriented exercise, rooted in cultural, perceptual, and receptive dimensions, often in contrast to traditional, West-centric interpretations of soft power..."

"The book’s key strength, however, is its critical engagement with Nye’s concept of ‘soft power’ and its deep reconceptualisation. Building around a core argument that the soft power parameters can be grounded on non-materialistic reflections and identity-informed and perception-based political manifestations of it, the book lays a solid conceptual foundation by effectively reconciling Nye’s at times vague and unstable concept with Wendt’s thoughtful constructivist model of state identity. This theoretical synthesis allows the author to detect and assess the exercise of soft power in the empirical cases of Bhutan and Qatar. Moreover, as part of the broader scholarly effort to de-Westernise soft power theory, Theys refines the concept by shifting Nye’s agent-focused projection toward an audience-centric model of reception. In doing so, she enriches the soft power concept with a pertinent theoretical framework that opens up new, promising horizons for research as its interpretation of soft power is now tied to state identities, beliefs, perceptions, and persuasive narratives directed at both domestic and international audiences. Guided by this contextualised intellectual apparatus, Theys advances a novel definition of soft power..." - Dr Eduard Abrahamyan, University College London, United Kingdom. Reviewed in Small States & Territories.

Academic Publications

Monographs

1. 2025| The Soft Power of Non-Western Small States: The Cases of Bhutan and Qatar. Oxon and New York: Routledge. [Online Publication in 2024]

Articles in Refereed Journals

8. 2025| The Act of Academic Writing: Lessons from the Pacific. Politics. OnlineFirst.

7. 2024| Climate Change: An Existential Threat for Pacific Island States and their Identities [climate research on big ocean islands]. Nature Climate Change 14: 671-676.

6. 2023| Unanimity or standing aside? Reinterpreting consensus in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. International Environmental Agreement: Politics, Law and Economics 23: 221-234. Co-authored.

5. 2022| #EndorseTheAO: Pacific Islands Students Fighting for Climate Change and the International Court of Justice. Comparative Law Journal of the Pacific, 27: 73-77.

4. 2022| Small States Reconsidered: Small Is What WE Make of It. Journal of International Affairs 74(2): 81-95.

3. 2021| Leading the Way: Pacific Island Countries and the United Nations Climate Change Negotiations. Comparative Law Journal of the Pacific, 26: 203-220.

2. 2020| The Influence of Small States: How Bhutan succeeds in influencing global sustainability governance. International Affairs, 96(6): 1603-1622. Lead author.

1. 2015| Introduction: The Soft Power of Hard States. Politics, 35 (3-4): 213-215. Co-Authored.

Book Chapters in Refereed Edited Collections

11. 2026| Fifty-Fourth Pacific Islands Forum - PIF 54. In D.J. Jefferson and C. Riffel (eds.) New Zealand Yearbook of International Law, 22. Nijhoff: Brill. Forthcoming.

10. 2026| Redefining Regional Influence: The Agency of Tuvalu and the Pacific Islands Forum in Addressing the Existential Threat of Climate Change. In P. Kollner, R.G. Patman and B. Kiglics (eds.) The Agency of Small Powers: Analytical Perspectives and Empirical Evidence from the Indo-Pacific. Palgrave Macmillan. Forthcoming.

9. 2025| Pacific Islands Forum, pp. 77-86. In D.J. Jefferson and C. Riffel (eds.) New Zealand Yearbook of International Law, 21. Nijhoff: Brill. Co-authored.

8. 2024| Regional Climate and Ocean Strategies, Policies and Frameworks - A Stocktake of Current Status, pp. 103-142. Pacific Ocean and Climate Crisis Assessment. Lead author.

7. 2024| Pacific Islands Forum, pp. 173-178. In D.J. Jefferson and C. Riffel (eds.) New Zealand Yearbook of International Law, 20. Nijhoff: Brill. Co-authored.

6. 2023| The ontological (in)security of Fijians in the context of sea-level rise: preliminary findings, pp. 131-138. In Charting the Future of Innovative Ocean Science. Archipelagic & Island States Forum.

5. 2023| Knowledge Production and Student Learning in Political Science: Bhutan and the Politics of Happiness, pp. 393-400. In Butcher, C., T. Bhasin, E. Gordon and M. Hallward (eds.) The Palgrave Handbook of Teaching and Research in Political Science. Camden: Palgrave Macmillan.

4. 2023| Pacific Islands Forum - 2022, pp. 181-186. In J. Mehigan and C. Riffel (eds.) New Zealand Yearbook of International Law, 19. Nijhoff: Brill. Co-authored.

3. 2022| Pacific Islands Forum - 2020, pp. 148-152. In J. Mehigan and C. Riffel (eds.) New Zealand Yearbook of International Law, 18. Nijhoff: Brill. Co-authored.

2. 2021| Crossing Borders, Traversing Cultures and Mediating Identities: A Reflection on Fieldwork Conducted in the Arab Gulf, pp. 310-320. In Guttormsen D.S.A., J. Lauring and M.K. Chapman (eds.) A Field Guide to Intercultural Research. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing.

1. 2017| Constructivism, pp. 36-41. In McGlinchey, S., R. Walters and C. Scheinpflug (eds.) International Relations Theory. Bristol: E-International Relations. The online version has more than 290,000 reads.

Book Reviews in Refereed Journals

6. 2023| A Small State's Guide to Influence in World Politics. Tom Long. Reviewed in International Affairs, 99(3), pp. 1324-1325.

5. 2021| Combatting Climate Change in the Pacific. The Role of Regional Organizations. Marc Williams and Duncan McDuie-Ra. Reviewed in Environmental Politics, 30(4), pp. 684-686.

4. 2021| Routledge Handbook of State Recognition. Edited by Gëzim Visoka, John Doyle and Edward Newman. Reviewed in International Affairs, 97(1), pp. 233-235.

3. 2020| Handbook on the Politics of Small States. Edited by Godfrey Baldacchino and Anders Wivel. Reviewed in Small States & Territories Journal, 3(2), pp. 459-461.

2. 2020| Routledge International Handbook of Island Studies: A World of Islands? Edited by Godfrey Baldacchino. Reviewed in International Affairs, 96(1), pp. 233-235. My review was ranked second in the top five of issue 96(1) reviews section and has more than 600 reads.

1. 2019| Elucidating Social Science Concepts. An Interpretivist Guide. Frederic Charles Schaffer. Reviewed in Qualitative Research, 19(5), pp. 614-616.

Policy Briefs

2021| Re-Interpreting Consensus: A new approach to improving UNFCCC negotiations. Co-authored.

2021| Set-Up For Success: Using Non-Negotiation Spaces to Increase Climate Ambition. Co-authored.

2021| Moving Forward Together: Using Facilitation, Mediation and Mutual Learning Approaches in UNFCCC Negotiations. Co-authored.

Online Publications

Manuscript Reviewer for

International Affairs; Global Studies Quarterly; Contemporary Review of the Middle East; Journal of Territorial and Maritime Studies; Australian National University - Department of Pacific Affairs, Asia and the Pacific Policy Studies; International Environmental Agreements: Politics, Law and Economics.

ORCID

ORCID: 0000-0002-8360-7830

Google Sites

Report abuse

Academic Publications

Monographs

Articles in Refereed Journals

Book Chapters in Refereed Edited Collections

Book Reviews in Refereed Journals

Policy Briefs

Online Publications

Australian Institute of International Affairs

International Affairs Website

South Asia Centre at the London School of Economics and Political Science

​

IAPS Dialogue: The Online Magazine of the Institute of Asia & Pacific Studies

Politics Website

E-International Relations

Manuscript Reviewer for

ORCID