Comments on: Too small for the big leagues? Foreign policy in an independent Scotland https://blogs.sps.ed.ac.uk/referendum/foreign-policy-in-an-independent-scotland/ Informing the Debate Wed, 24 Jul 2013 10:38:02 +0000 hourly 1 By: Dave Taylor https://blogs.sps.ed.ac.uk/referendum/foreign-policy-in-an-independent-scotland/#comment-38 Thu, 31 Jan 2013 22:44:59 +0000 http://blogs.sps.ed.ac.uk/referendum/?p=70#comment-38 Enjoyed the article. It’s a useful analysis of how small and large states operate differently. I’d only quibble with this section – “The takeaway message for an independent Scotland is that its small size would certainly mean a loss of objective capabilities – it would no longer be part of a bigger state”

To argue that Scotland would “lose” some capabilities, would require you to demonstrate the degree of capability that the political entity of Scotland currently enjoys within the UK.

Since that is effectively an impossible task! I’d suggest that the most that can be said is that citizens of an independent Scotland would have greater influence on the behaviours of their government on the international stage than in the UK, but that Scottish government would have less capability in some respects than the UK Government.

Which position is preferable, is one of the key aspects of the debate on Scotland’s constitutional future.

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