The strategic narratives of small states

: an analysis of the foreign policy discourses of the UAE and Qatar

Abstract

This thesis seeks to explore the strategic narratives in the foreign policy of small states. The thesis adopts a two-fold approach. It begins by theoretically exploring the use of strategic narratives by small states, providing a framework for investigating the broader topic. Then, it applies the theoretical framework to empirically investigate the UAE and Qatar who have become increasingly active players. Their growth is reflected in the vast scholarship around their foreign policy and internal state dynamics. Traditional IR literature expects states to behave in uniform, leaving little room for exploring more ideational elements in state behaviour. Described as small states ‘punching above their weight’, the UAE and Qatar have seemingly broken out of the mould expected of small states. The aim of this thesis is to analyse the foreign policy discourses of small states that are thought to be similar. As such, the main research question driving this thesis is: What role do strategic narratives play in the foreign policy of small states? In examining the strategic narratives of small Arab Gulf states, like the UAE and Qatar, I assess how they present themselves (identities, beliefs, values) and work to convince others of their respective schemas. Adopting a social constructivist lens and conducting a comparative discourse analysis, this study investigates the readily available government engagement and communications in speeches, MOFA press releases, interviews and opinion pieces by Emirati and Qatari political elites. Arguing that identity and ontological security are important variables in studying the strategic narratives of small states, this thesis shows how and why the UAE and Qatar adopt divergent strategic narratives. The significance of this study is its objective of going beyond the notions of small states as passive recipients and instead studies small states more nuancedly by examining how and why they engage with Western audiences with the aim of shaping perceptions of events and actors in the Arab and Muslim world, and, ultimately, themselves.

Date of Award	30 Jun 2026
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	University of St Andrews
Supervisor	Fiona McCallum Guiney (Supervisor) & Hsinyen Lai (Supervisor)