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Think Weak, Act Weak: A Look into State Mentalities

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Prioritization Theory and Defensive Foreign Policy
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Abstract

Weak states, in believing they are weak, act in terms of their capability. The same can be said about great powers. Mentalities ultimately create state behavior and define the range of foreign policy options available to a state. I will test this supposition by applying the analysis to a state that went from weak to great and back to weak again: Weimar Germany’s transformation into Nazi Germany and then to defeated Germany.

Many thanks to Jonathan Allen for the idea to include this essay in this book.

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Kassab, H.S. (2017). Think Weak, Act Weak: A Look into State Mentalities. In: Prioritization Theory and Defensive Foreign Policy . Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-48018-3_9

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