A New Reality: Small States in a Europe Under Pressure

Open seminar hosted by the Institute of International Affairs and Centre for Small State Studies at the University of Iceland.

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, and editor of the book Security, Defence, and the Future of Europe: Views from the Capitals
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