Peruvian Foreign Policy: Diplomatic-Strategic Stewardship Toward Autonomy in the Context of Great Power Competition

Abstract

This essay offers theoretical and practical contributions to the understanding and reflection on the complementarity of diplomacy and defense as central instruments for designing an effective foreign policy strategy for a small power such as Peru in the context of great power competition. Based on a historical review of cases and authors, as well as a comparative exploration of contemporary international politics, and with the added value of being grounded in and conceived from the perspective of the national context, three key components of a foreign policy capable of ensuring a sufficient margin of maneuver are identified: diplomatic balancing, diplomatic coalition-building, and deterrence by denial. The essay suggests that Peru, as a small power aspiring to become an emerging middle power, is in a position to pursue an autonomous foreign policy strategy, with clear, coordinated, and articulated diplomatic-strategic stewardship that ensures an adequate margin for action in the external arena and enables the country to better defend the permanent interests of the Peruvian state.