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
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Alþjóðamálastofnun Háskóla ÍslandsOrganizing institution for the conference