Separating after J. M. Colomer small states into unique group the paper is stating that this group as well as non-recognized states is especially useful for understanding the concepts of statehood and stateness. Proceeded in getting the statehood attributes of legality the small states stay feeling lack of stateness features of legitimacy. The stateness in the small states is not a stable condition but a developing process. It is not a background for political institutions formation but a reaction on the external political processes when a small state starts using all the internal political instrument to accommodate this challenge. Stateness in small states develops as an attempt to compromise contradictory tendencies 1) of inclusion into globalization that gives the small states most of advantages from one hand and the need to save or form the unique identity which is the most difficult issue in small states development from the other and 2) of influence of external political schemes and practices on the small states policy from one hand and the need to save the neutrality and sovereignty in international relations from the other. The background for small states stateness in this case is the balancing between greater powers (the paper describes the cases of that balancing in Andorra, Lichtenstein and Oceania small states) which makes them really independent and sovereign.
