This chapter examines the current international discourse on connectivity in the field of International Relations (IR) and explores why foreign-assisted connectivity projects, once considered primarily domestic developmental and economic matters, have increasingly become prominent in global IR discussions. It argues that connectivity is increasingly used by powerful states as a geopolitical means to project power and gain political objectives not only within the recipient country but also in international politics. As connectivity infrastructure becomes a platform for systemic rivalry, this chapter sheds light on the perspective of receiving states, often overlooked in geopolitical analyses. It seeks to move beyond the dominant narratives of great power politics to highlight the agency of smaller states, particularly landlocked nations in the Global South. In doing so, it uncovers the double marginalization they face and aims to accommodate their perspectives into the mainstream geopolitical debate. The chapter identifies and analyses a range of independent, intervening and dependent variables and examines how intervening variables such as domestic politics and internal dynamics influence state behaviour and explain foreign policy outcomes. The study is organized along two lines of argument: first, through a linear historical perspective of the Cold War and post-Cold War, and second, through thematic lines focused on bilateralism and multilateralism. The discussion argues that while connectivity offers strategic manoeuvrability for landlocked states, it often comes at the cost of increased dependence on foreign infrastructure financing, which can reduce their strategic autonomy and force trade-offs on many issues.