Small States’ Dilemma Amid Liberal Order Decline: Denmark’s Strategic Use of Refugee Resettlement

Small liberal states face a dilemma as the liberal international order weakens, the international refugee regime comes under growing pressure, and domestic anti-immigration sentiments intensify. On the one hand, these states seek to uphold the global order and refugee regime, both in pursuit of national interests and in alignment with their liberal values. On the other hand, rising domestic pressure calls for more restrictive immigration and asylum policies. This article examines how Denmark, through its refugee resettlement programme, has navigated the tension between international expectations and domestic political demands in times of mounting pressure. We find that these competing forces have produced a surprising degree of stability in Denmark’s resettlement policy, but domestic imperatives increasingly take precedence during periods of intensified political strain. In the face of domestic pressure, the Danish government has temporarily halted and permanently repurposed refugee resettlement as a strategic tool with communicative and regulatory aims. Domestically, the Social Democratic government has used resettlement to counter criticism of its otherwise restrictive asylum policy. Internationally, it has attempted to leverage refugee resettlement programmes as incentives in migration diplomacy aiming to externalize asylum. In doing so, Denmark has responded to the erosion of the liberal international order and the refugee regime by formally reinforcing them while simultaneously undermining their normative foundations. This article highlights the instrumentalization of humanitarianism and challenges the assumption that small states inherently prioritize international over national commitments.