Statehood à la Carte

Abstract

AbstractThis chapter synthesizes the main findings about the practice of Statehood à la carte and defends them against anticipated criticisms: that Caribbean and Pacific countries are not real states; that historical institutionalism or rational choice theory offer better explanations than interpretivism; that by focusing on elite narratives the role of social movements has been downplayed; and that the autonomy–viability dilemma is not as intractable for small states as is made out. The book finishes by restating the need for a political science that opens up and puzzles with the ambiguous meaning of concepts by uncovering the politics that goes on in the name of the state.