By nearly every measure, power in the international system is concentrated, meaning that most states lack significant power resources. And yet international relations theory tends to focus on the behavior of great powers. This special issue instead explores the strategies that “weak” states use in the context of international organizations both to advance their interests and to resist pressure from stronger states. We define weakness as a relative lack of power across one or more dimensions. While the literature, to the extent it has focused on weak actors, has too often defined weakness solely in material terms, we adopt a broader conception that builds on the influential typology of power by Barnett and Duvall (Barnett and Duvall, 2005a, Barnett and Duvall, International Organization 59, 39–75, 2005b). A multidimensional conceptualization of power allows analysts to show how actors that are weak in one dimension (often material power) may be stronger on other dimensions, giving them greater capacity for action than is often recognized. From this framework we create a typology of “strategies of the weak” that emphasizes the agency of weaker actors to make the most of their positions. The contributions to the special issue, summarized here, illuminate and substantiate many of these strategies across a diverse range of international organizations, understood as both forums and actors. As the articles show, these alternative theoretical mechanisms help explain how and why seemingly weak states sometimes fare better than a simplistic assessment of their material capabilities might suggest. By deepening our understanding of weakness and how it influences state behavior, the volume advances our theoretical understanding of how power is built, wielded, and resisted in and through international organization.

从几乎所有标准来看，国际体系中的权力都是集中的，这意味着大多数国家缺乏重要的权力资源。然而，国际关系理论往往关注大国的行为。相反，本期特刊探讨了“弱国”在国际组织中为促进自身利益和抵御强国压力而使用的策略。我们将弱点定义为在一个或多个维度上相对缺乏权力。虽然文献在某种程度上关注的是弱势行为者，但往往仅从物质角度来定义弱势，但我们采用了一种更广泛的概念，该概念建立在巴尼特和杜瓦尔有影响力的权力类型学的基础上（巴尼特和杜瓦尔，2005a，巴尼特和杜瓦尔）杜瓦尔， 国际组织 59，39-75，2005b )。权力的多维概念化使分析人员能够展示在一个维度（通常是物质权力）较弱的行动者如何在其他维度上变得更强，从而赋予他们比通常认识到的更大的行动能力。从这个框架出发，我们创建了一种“弱者的战略”类型，强调弱者的代理作用以充分利用他们的地位。这里总结的对本期特刊的贡献阐明并证实了各种国际组织（既被理解为论坛又被理解为参与者）的许多战略。正如文章所示，这些替代理论机制有助于解释看似弱国如何以及为什么有时比对其物质能力的简单评估可能表现得更好。通过加深我们对弱点及其如何影响国家行为的理解，本书增进了我们对如何在国际组织中和通过国际组织建立、运用和抵制权力的理论理解。