ABSTRACT
Most theoretical studies of weak states in international relations are strictly political and military. Such economic studies as exist rarely include any political-military analyses. Economically weak states, which frequently produce only a limited number of products, are sometimes referred to as one-dimensional states. According to traditional economic theory, a state's territorial size and the size of its domestic market play important roles in determining its economic strength and viability. Weak states have sometimes been the victims of economic pressures or sanctions imposed on them by the great powers. The changing norms in the conduct of international relations, the mutual neutralization of the super powers, and the reality and mythology of guerrilla warfare have all led to the so-called depreciation of military coercive power possessed by the great Western powers. This chapter summarizes some of the economic problems involved in the relations between the weak and strong states, without pretending to undertake an exhaustive or innovative analysis.
