can Spain really play in the big leagues?
For some time now, a debate has been under way concerning Spain’s international influence: while some analysts argue that in the past 15 to 20 years the country has punched above its weight, taking advantage of a favourable environment without addressing certain structural issues (for example, the size and funding of its Foreign Service and Armed Forces), others claim that Spain wields less international influence than it is entitled to, given its current level of economic, political and social development. The doubts raised before it was confirmed that Spain would be present at the enlarged meetings of the G-20 in Washington (November 2008) and London (April 2009) have stirred a new and interesting debate on Spain’s international role, and in particular its possible contribution to a redefinition of the institutions of global governance. The debate has been positive in so far as it has revealed that Spain’s political elite and significant sectors of society are sensitive to the need t
