Status-seeking is an important aspect of the foreign policies of a number of small states, but one that has been rarely studied. This book aims to contribute to our understanding not only of status-seeking, by coming at that question from a new angle, that of a small state, but also to our understanding of foreign policy, by discussing the importance of status for foreign policy overall.

If status is a hierarchy, then it is important to focus not just on the highest-ranking powers, but also those at lower levels. As the distribution of power is becoming more diffuse, the role of small and medium powers becomes more significant than it was during the Cold war. The book chapters go beyond familiar explications of "soft power" or conflict resolution to highlight new aspects of Norway's foreign policy, including contributions to national defense, global warming, and management of Arctic resources.

This book will be of interest to students and scholars in areas including US Foreign Policy, International Relations and European Politics.

Introduction: Small States and Status, Iver B. Neumann and Benjamin de Carvalho, Chapter 1: The formative years: Norway as an obsessive status-seeker, Halvard Leira, Chapter 2: Status, small powers, and Significant Others: Re-reading Norway's attraction to Britain in the 20th century, Kristin M. Haugevik Chapter 3: A Great Power Performance: Norway, Status and the Policy of Involvement, Benjamin de Carvalho and Jon Harald Sande Lie, Chapter 4: Status and sovereign equality: Small powers in multilateral settings, Niels Nagelhus Schia and Ole Jacob Sending, Chapter 5: From 'forces for good' to 'forces for status'? Small state military status-seeking, Nina Græger, Chapter 6: Gifts favour the giver: Norway, Status and the Nobel Peace Prize, Ingvild Johnsen, Chapter 7: How to be a 'front-runner': Norway and international climate politics, Bård Lahn and Elana Wilson Rowe, Conclusion: A Small Middle Power, William C. Wohlforth

Benjamin de Carvalho is Senior Researcher at the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs and Adjunct Professor at the University of Life Sciences, Oslo.

Iver B. Neumann is Montague Burton Professor of International Relations at the London School of Economics. The latest of his books is At Home with the Diplomats: Inside a European Foreign Ministry (2012).