Dr. Baldur Thorhallsson

The latest volume of the Icelandic Review of Politics & Administration is now out, featuring two of my articles; one of them delving deep into history, analysing Iceland's external affairs in the Late Middle Ages, while the other one looks to a hypothetical future, sketching the outlines of an independent Scotland.

Although their subjects are seperated by half a millennium, both papers revolve around the concept of shelter and its importance for small states in the turbulent arena of world politics.

‘Scotland as an Independent Small State: Where would it seek shelter?’ was co-authored by Alyson JK Bailes and Rachael Lorna Johnstone.

‘Iceland’s External Affairs from 1400 to the Reformation: Anglo-German Economic and Societal Shelter in a Danish Political Vacuum’ was co-authored by Þorsteinn Kristinsson.

Tveir fyrirlestrar á morgun í tilefni af útgáfu fræðigreina í tímaritinu Stjórnmál og stjórnsýsla, kl 16.30, miðvikudag 26. Júní, Odda 101 HÍ. Ég mun fjalla um grein okkar Alyson Bailes og Rachel Johnstone um Skotland, 'Scotland as an Independent Small State: Where would it seek shelter?'. Þorsteinn Kristinsson mun fjalla um grein okkar, 'Iceland’s External Affairs from 1400 to the Reformation: Anglo-German Economic and Societal Shelter in a Danish Political Vacuum'.

This is a very interesting BA-thesis that Hörður Unnsteinsson, a student of mine, wrote this spring. Hörður analysed the Independence party's opposition to the EU and came to the conclusion that the funds that the party and its members receive from the fisheries sector might be factor in explaining the party's opposition. The thesis 'Sjálfstæðið eða sjávarútvegurinn? Greining á andstöðu Sjálfstæðisflokksins við aðild að Evrópusambandinu' has received public attention and was for example covered by the Icelandic National Radio and the in the radio programme Harmageddon.

An article that appeared in Fréttablaðið, 24 June, on the foreign policy of the newly elected Icelandic government

Here is an interview in the Icelandic National Radio where Svandís Anna Sigurðardóttir and I discuss our recent trip to Belgrade and the conference we attended there on gay rights in current and future EU accession countries.

A short travel journal from Belgrade - NATO airstrikes, radical nationalism, christian fundamentalism and banned gay-pride marches are amongst what this Balkan city has endured in recent years.

A short article that appeared in Fréttablaðið, 18 June, with some thoughts on Iceland's foreign policy from the viewpoint of small state studies.

Here is a copy of the speech from Belgrade. 'From Oppression to Rainbow Revolution: Queer cultural and legislative victories in Iceland'

Here is a video of a speech held at a conference in Serbia on the development of the human-rights struggle of the gay community in Iceland; 'From Oppression to Rainbow Revolution: Queer Culture and Legislative Victories in Iceland'.

Just arrived in Belgrade, Serbia, to attend a conference on the human rights of gay people in current and anticipated EU accession countries. We are going to compare the good position of the gay community in Iceland with its poor position in Serbia, Turkey, Albania, Croatia, Montenegro, Macedonia, Kosovo, and Bosnia and Herzegovina.