President of Armenia 2018–2022 · Author
Armen SarkissianThe Small States Club
How small smart states can save the world. A book by Armen Sarkissian: physicist, diplomat and statesman.
About the book
A gracefully written reflection on how small states can pack a punch that belies their size
In The Small States Club, Armen Sarkissian, the former President of Armenia, argues that small states can navigate the complex challenges of the twenty-first century in smarter ways than the so-called great powers. Smallness is usually treated as a weakness. Sarkissian shows that it can be a strength: it may breed insecurity, but it also gives a nation an instinct for survival. Large states are ponderous. Small states can be agile and adaptive.
Drawing on his experience as a physicist, entrepreneur, ambassador and head of state, Armen Sarkissian offers captivating portraits of ten small states, from Africa to Europe to Asia, that have overcome seemingly insuperable odds to become oases of political stability, cultural tolerance, technological innovation, financial prudence and scientific research. He returns to their uncertain beginnings to demystify their improbable rise, and introduces a cast of tenacious leaders with a knack for converting crisis into opportunity.
Widely regarded as the most respected Armenian leader on the world stage, Sarkissian closes with a poignant homage to his motherland. Part memoir, part manifesto, The Small States Club is a stirring insight into the world’s oldest Christian country, which is at once an ancient civilisation, a small state and a global nation.
The ten small states profiled
- Singapore
- Qatar
- United Arab Emirates
- Israel
- Estonia
- Switzerland
- Ireland
- Botswana
- Jordan
- Armenia
Reviews
Praise for Armen Sarkissian’s The Small States Club
A fascinating and timely analysis of the agility and adaptability of small states.
Armen Sarkissian is intrigued by small states … and the lessons they may hold for the rest of the world. His portraits of several of these countries, peppered with personal anecdotes, are compelling case studies.
Sarkissian’s book offers a corrective to the pervasive bias in favor of big states. [This] persuasive and fluent book is part reminiscence, part case for the significance of small states, and part advocacy for Armenia.
[The book] clarifies the important role small states play in upholding world order.
In a world drowning in doom and gloom, Armen Sarkissian has lit ten candles, profiling ten small and smart states which have succeeded ingeniously. They can guide us out of our current darkness. A timely and much needed book.
Drawing from the annals of history and his own leadership experience, Sarkissian elucidates how certain small states have not only survived but thrived on the global stage despite their diminutive size.
What President Sarkissian presents — using extraordinary storytelling and personal insights — is a book about hope. This is a great manifesto to learn what mistakes to avoid and what steps to take to become a small, successful state.
A fascinating contribution to the current discourse on strategic partnerships. Brimming with insight gathered over years of statesmanship, Sarkissian makes a convincing case for an alliance of small states to propel stronger multilateral cooperation in an evolving global order — a thought-provoking read.
Listen & watch
Armen Sarkissian in conversation
The Trump Report · YouTube
How small states can change the world together: an interview with the former Armenian president.
Watch on YouTubeBBC Radio 4 · Start the Week
Can smallness be a strength? Armen Sarkissian discusses the agility and adaptiveness of small states with Adam Rutherford, Margaret MacMillan and Lyse Doucet.
Listen on SpotifyDisorder podcast · Part I
Former Armenian President Sarkissian on Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day.
Listen on Spotify‘In the next world, 20 small successful states will come together, not on the basis of regional politics or religion or economic power only, but because they were successful.’Armen Sarkissian in conversation with Times Radio’s Hugo Rifkind
Questions
About Armen Sarkissian and the book
Who is Armen Sarkissian?
Armen Sarkissian is a physicist, diplomat and statesman who served as President of the Republic of Armenia from 2018 to 2022 and as Prime Minister from 1996 to 1997. He was Armenia’s Ambassador to the United Kingdom and the European Union, has advised the EBRD and major multinational companies, and is the author of The Small States Club.
What is The Small States Club about?
The book argues that small states can meet the challenges of the twenty-first century in smarter ways than large powers. It profiles ten small, successful states and ends with a personal homage to Armenia. Part memoir, part manifesto, it draws on Armen Sarkissian’s careers in science, business, diplomacy and government.
Which countries are featured in The Small States Club?
Singapore, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Israel, Estonia, Switzerland, Ireland, Botswana, Jordan and Armenia.
Where can I buy The Small States Club?
The book is published by Hurst and is available in hardback, paperback and e-book from Hurst Publishers, Amazon and all good bookshops. The paperback edition was published in November 2025.
Hardback · Paperback · E-book