New Zealand and Sri Lanka neighbor regional powers: Australia and India, respectively. Australia and India wield considerable influence in the Pacific and Indian Ocean regions due to their size, wealth, and resources. The island-states in Australia’s neighborhood are dependent on Australia for trade and security, whereas India’s neighbors engage in trade, have security pacts, and are occasionally influenced in domestic and foreign policy, resulting in both New Zealand and Sri Lanka being in these countries’ direct sphere of influence. Accordingly, this article examines how the geographic proximity of small states to a bigger, more powerful neighbor influences how smaller states manage these relations. The research follows the comparative case study method using two sets of cases: Australia and New Zealand, and India and Sri Lanka. The article develops new insights into the geopolitics of small states and provides a nuanced understanding of interstate relations. It argues that Alan K. Henrickson’s framework on distance in foreign policy could be developed further by explicitly acknowledging the relationship between distance and closeness, and the dynamic interrelationship between different types of distances and proximities.

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