ABSTRACT
Before the Second World War, most of the ‘small states’ in Europe—including Belgium—pursued a hiding strategy. Other European small states have adopted a similar binding approach, Belgian policy, particularly in the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), distinguishes itself from other states of similar size. Melissa Conley Tyler and Eleanor Pahlow found that “active participation”, “coalition building”, “strong leadership skills”, “confidence-building”, and “engagement of organizations with real interests” are important factors that determine the ability of elected members to be influential in the UNSC. In 2018, Belgium was elected as a nonpermanent member (NPM) to the UNSC for the sixth time in its history, which makes it one of the most elected states in the world. Based on the case studies and wider literature, the chapter identifies five key factors that explain the success of an NPM, “a commitment to the active participation”, “positive image”, “competence”, “coalition-building skills” and “a balanced idealistic pragmatic approach”.
