In international relations, we obsess over great powers. What Washington thinks, what Beijing wants, what New Delhi will do next. We map their strategies, track their rivalries, debate their ambitions. And somewhere along the way, we forget that most of the world doesn’t get to play that game. For smaller states, great power competition isn’t theory. It is the quiet, constant reality that you must navigate a world that is being shaped by others. So how do these countries navi