Dr. Baldur Thorhallsson

New study has been made available through early view on Third World Thematics: "Alliance Theory and Small State Alliance “Shelter”: The Complexities of Small State Alliance Behavior". The study was co-authored with Alyson Bailes and Bradley Thayer. This article is dedicated to the memory of Alyson Bailes, a devoted teacher, exceptional scholar and dear friend. She is deeply missed.

The SAGE Handbook of Diplomacy has been published. The book contains a chapter on Small State Diplomacy, co-authored with Alyson J.K. Bailes, that readers of this page might be interested in!

Lecture at a seminar on the history of the LGBT community in Iceland organized by Gay Pride. The seminar got extensive coverage in the media, see, for example, this Mbl.is article  and this article on Vísir.is. The lecture covered the development of LGBT rights in Iceland from complete and discrimination to tolerance and acceptance.

The LGBT History and Culture Walk was on Gay Pride. Iceland has come far in the last fifty years. Research, for instance, shows that Iceland was one of the most homophobic societies in Western Europe in 1981-1982 but is today the most tolerant. The LGBT History and Culture Walk received coverage on the Icelandic National Broadcasting Service (both TV and radio) and on Channel 2 News.

Morgunblaðið reports on the popular Small States Summer School run by the Centre for Small State Studies at the University of Iceland. The summer school, titled Small States in Europe: Opportunities and Challenges, is organized around four interlinked pillars each identifying a specific set of challenges and opportunities for small states:

• Pillar 1: The role of small states in European integration
• Pillar 2: Good governance, innovation and entrepreneurship in small states
• Pillar 3: Foreign policy and security challenges of small states
• Pillar 4: Promoting sustainable development in small states

Even though Camp 'Leave' won the Brexit referendum, there are doubts about whether Brexit will be implemented. There are reports that the Scots may veto any such decision, which would make it a convenient excuse for conservative Remainers not to go ahead with Brexit.

Iceland elected its sixth president on Saturday. Guðni Th. Jóhannesson, Associate Professor of History at the University of Iceland, won the election with 39,1% of the vote. Pre- and post-election discussions about the election:

Birgitta Rós Nikulásdóttir, chairperson of Politica, was interviewed on Morgunútvarpið at around 25 minutes in. The subject was youth turnout and political engagement.

An alumni from the University of Iceland's Political Science department talked about Brexit on Morgunútvarpið. Pétur Gunnarsson (now studying for an MA in European Studies at LSE) at around one hour in.

Also, discussion on the subject on the radio shows Harmageddon and Reykjavík Síðdegis, and on Stöð 2's evening news. The outcome of the referendum might depend on turnout. David Cameron's position would be difficult in case of a Leave victory.

Iceland defeated Austria yesterday, setting Iceland up for a match in the knock-out stages with England on June 27. Speculations in an interview on RÚV as to what the implications might be for the Icelandic presidential election on June 25. It is difficult to tell what the impact will be but it seems fair to assume that it will reduce turnout somewhat, as a greater number of Icelanders will remain in France or go to France.