The first annual conference of the Icelandic Political Science Association started with an interesting lecture by Eiríkur Bergmann on rightwing populism in the Nordic countries. New research paper 'A theory of shelter: Iceland’s American Period (1941-2006)' (co-authored with Sverrir Steinsson and Þorsteinn Kristinsson) was presented on a panel with colleagues Silja Bára Ómarsdóttir and Page Wilson. Hannes Hólmsteinn Gissurarson discussed the research with us.
Celebrations after the Conference:
Sverrir Steinsson and I will present “A theory of shelter: Iceland’s American Period (1941-2006)” tomorrow (16 June, starting at 10:00) at the first annual conference of the Icelandic Political Science Association. My colleagues Silja Bára Ómarsdóttir and Page Wilson will also present interesting new research on the panel I'm on. Looking forward to it!
Great article in the Economist on alternative paths for the UK in the event of BREXIT. Explanation of what the Icelandic/Norwegian alternative entails for the UK: "EEA countries suffer a double democratic deficit, part arising from the EU’s own failings, the rest from the fact that they are not even at the table to discuss legislative proposals."
The Faroese show interest in the Icelandic presidential election. Interview about the state of the race by Dimmalætting:
Thoughts on the Orlando shooting in a radio interview on Rás 2 and during the evening news on RÚV. The shooting was a terrorist attack and hate crime against the LGBT community. The shooting will affect the narratives of the US presidential election over the next few weeks but it's difficult to tell whether the shooting will have a lasting impact on the race.
Small states should not become a laboratory for adventurous businesses and politicians. 'Integration and Dispute Resolution in Small States' - I had the honour to be the only political scientist at this high quality law conference on small states in London. I spoke about inbuilt structural weakness of small economies and what small states can do to compensate for these weaknesses. I also talked about Iceland's failure to establish itself as a financial centre! This experiment led to the 2008 crash.
Speakers and Chairs:
Gary Born WilmerHale (Keynote speaker); Justice Winston AndersonCaribbean Court of Justice; Agnieszka Ason Technische Universität Berlin;Elizabeth Bakibinga Commonwealth Secretariat; Professor George BarkerAustralia National University; Dr David S Berry University of the West Indies;James Bridgeman FCIArb; N Jansen Calamita BIICL; Barbara Dohmann QC Blackstone Chambers; Conway Blake Debevoise & Plimpton LLP; Professor Sue Farran University of Northumbria; Stephen FiettaPartner at Fietta; Steven Finizio WilmerHale; Jack Graves Touro College of Law; Françoise L M Hendy Barbados High Commission; Desley HortonWilmerHale; Her Excellency Dr Len Ishmael Ambassador, Embassies of the Eastern Caribbean States; Michel Kallipetis QC Independent Mediators Limited and Quadrant Chambers; Edwini Kessie Office of the Chief Trade Advisor; Alex Layton QC 20 Essex Street; Dr Eva Lein BIICL; Brian McGarry Centre for Diplomacy & International Security, London Centre of International Law Practice; Professor Baldur Þórhallsson University of Iceland, Small States Studies; Lauge Poulsen University College London; Jan Yves Remy Sidley Austin; Dominic Roughton Herbert Smith Freehills LLP;Professor Francesco Schurr University of Liechtenstein; Geoff SharpClifton Chambers; Mele Tupou Ministry of Justice; UNCITRAL; Professor Robert G Volterra; Professor Gordon Walker Hamad Bin Khalifa University; Tony Willis Brick Court Chambers
The event is convened by:
Dr Petra Butler, Centre for Small States, Queen Mary University of London; Dr Eva Lein, British Institute of International and Comparative Law; Rhonson Salim, Open University.
New survey results indicate that the Left-Greens have surged amid the political controversy of recent weeks while the Progressive Party and the Social Democrats struggle. My thoughts in an interview with Vísir:
The entry of Davíð Oddsson, the longest serving prime minister in Icelandic history, into the the presidential race changed the nature of the race. We have already seen Grímsson, the sitting President, bow out of the race. My views in two interviews:
On Friday May 13, the Swedish Institute of International Affairs held a symposium in honor of Alyson. The symposium was on small state strategies in international politics. Tuomas Iso-Markku and Gunilla Herolf spoke. I gave a lecture on a study co-authored with Alyson Bailes and Bradley Thayer, "Small State Alliance “Shelter”: The Complexities of Small State Alliance Behavior."
Excellent Guardian obituary about a remarkable woman, Alyson Bailes, a major contributor to peace and stability in Europe. 'Always the cleverest person in the room ... as well as funny, generous and thoughtful.' - I have not yet found the words to describe how much I learned from working with her for ten years.
See also this Times obituary (unfortunately gated to non-subscribers) and this Herald Scotland obituary.
