Small states and the promotion of their foreign policy agenda in the international scenario: Trinidad and Tobago and the Kyoto Protocol

Abstract

This case study aims to identify the elements of Trinidad and Tobago’s foreign policy portfolio that allowed it to garner success in promoting its interests in the Kyoto Protocol. In doing so, this work will analyze Trinidad and Tobago’s limitations in terms of locational, bureaucratic and resource vulnerabilities. Subsequently, a revision of this state’s foreign policy portfolio will illustrate its use of capacity building and shaping strategies such as contact with institutional and non-state actors, coalition building and argumentative strategies, among others. Finally, this work will conclude that these actions allowed the promotion of Trinidad and Tobago’s foreign policy agenda through the creation of route maps and the coordination of uncertainty in the Kyoto Protocol. To do so, this work will focus on examining concepts such as vulnerability and prioritization, while also contrasting several different academic articles on the subject and Trinidadian official documents.