Nýjar ógnir, nýjar áherslur: Smáríki og breytt öryggisumhverfi Evrópu

Nýjar ógnir, nýjar áherslur: Smáríki og breytt öryggisumhverfi Evrópu

National Museum of Iceland, Suðurgata 41, 101 Reykjavík Directions

Fri 28.08.2026 12:00

A New Reality: Small States in a Europe Under Pressure

As Russia's aggression in Ukraine grinds on, Washington's commitment to European security grows less certain, and threats towards Greenland continue, small states face a defining test. Drawing on the country-by-country perspectives in the newly published book Security, Defence, and the Future of Europe: Views from the Capitals, this event asks what this shifting landscape means for Iceland and other small states in Europe that have long relied on alliance structures and great-power guarantees rather than hard power of their own.

At this open seminar, panelists will examine how small states are recalibrating threat perceptions, defence investment, and strategic alignment amid growing hybrid threats and a fraying transatlantic bond, and what lessons Iceland can draw from other European capitals navigating the same uncertainty.

Panelists:

Paul Schmidt, Secretary General of the Austrian Society for European Politics

Baldur Þórhallsson, Professor of Political Science at the University of Iceland

Vilborg Ása Guðjónsdóttir, Scholar of International Relations

Hugo Brady, Senior Strategic Advisor at the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD)

Moderator:

Pia Hansson, Director of the Institute of International Affairs at the University of Iceland

The event will take place in English and is open to all.

Please register here: https://forms.cloud.microsoft/e/4ATLtHf7UC

Performers