Dr. Baldur Thorhallsson

Our article on the Austria's bit to get a seat on the UN Security Council in 2008 has just been published in The Hague Journal of Diplomacy, (16, 2020, pp. 1-29). It is titled Small States in the UNSC: Austria's Quest to Maintain Status (a copy of the last version before publication). This article is a part of a research project titled ‘The Quest for Power in International Politics’, which examines campaigns of  small states for non-permanent seats on the UN  Security Council. The project initiators and leaders Ann-Marie Ekengren and Ulrika Möller at the University of Gothenburg have done a great job and I am grateful to them for making me a part of this exciting project. The project is funded by the Swedish Research Council. An article of mine, Jóna Sólveig Elínardóttir and Anna Margrét Eggertsdóttir on Iceland's bit to get a seat on the UN Security Council is also forthcoming. We have also written a book chapter comparing Iceland campaign for a seat on the Council with to Austrian bit.  You will also find a newly published article on the quests by the Netherlands and Sweden for the Security Council Membership by Ekengren and Möller in the The Hague Journal of Diplomacy.

Our new book, Small States and the New Security Environment, is just out - published in the Springer book series the World of Small States.

This book examines the security, defence and foreign policy choices and challenges of small states in NATO and its small partner states in the new security environment. The main aim of the book is to analyse how these states are dealing with current and emerging security challenges and how they might better prepare for these challenges. A special focus is on ‘new’ security threats and solutions, such as drones and hybrid warfare. Simultaneously, the book focusses on how small states are responding to emerging ‘old threats’, such as Russian aggression in its neighbouring states and increased activity in the North Atlantic.

The book presents the theory of shelter (which is derived from the diverse and extensive literature on small states) and uses it to examine how small states respond to new and old security threats. Shelter theory addresses three interrelated issues of common concerns to small states: the reduction of risk before a possible crisis event, assistance in absorbing shocks in times of crises, and help in recovering after such an event. In short, shelter theory claims that small states need external shelter in order to survive and prosper. They are dependent on the economic, political, and societal shelter provided by larger states, as well as regional and international organizations.

Hlaðvarpsþáttur um Rödd Íslands á alþjóðavettvangi þar sem ég fjalla um möguleika Íslands til áhrifa í alþjóðamálum. Þátt­ur­inn er hluti af Frið­ar­dögum í Reykja­vík 2020: Er frið­ur­inn úti? sem haldnir eru á vegum Höfða frið­ar­set­urs Reykja­vík­ur­borgar og Háskóla Íslands, í sam­starfi við  UNICEF á Íslandi, UN Women á Íslandi, Félag Sam­ein­uðu þjóð­anna og utan­rík­is­ráðu­neyt­ið. Hlaðvarp Kjarnans.

Spurn­ingin um það hvort Ísland geti orðið leið­andi í alþjóða­sam­fé­lag­inu er sam­ofin þeirri spurn­ingu hvort lítil ríki geti látið til sín taka í alþjóða­mál­um. Norð­ur­löndin sem talin eru lítil ríki í alþjóða­kerf­inu hafa sýnt fram á að þau geta haft áhrif á ein­stök mál innan Sam­ein­uðu þjóð­anna. Spyrja má hvort Ísland geti fetað í fót­spor þeirra og hvaða for­sendur þurfi að vera til staðar til þess.Ísland geti orðið leið­andi í alþjóða­sam­fé­lag­inu er sam­ofin þeirri spurn­ingu hvort lítil ríki geti látið til sín taka í alþjóða­mál­um. Norð­ur­löndin sem talin eru lítil ríki í alþjóða­kerf­inu hafa sýnt fram á að þau geta haft áhrif á ein­stök mál innan Sam­ein­uðu þjóð­anna. Spyrja má hvort Ísland geti fetað í fót­spor þeirra og hvaða for­sendur þurfi að vera til staðar til þess.
Skrifaði pistil um möguleika Íslands til að láta til sín taka í alþjóðamálum í tengslum við friðardaga í Reykjavík 2020.

New chapter about Euroscepticism in Iceland: Iceland - Hard-line Eurosceptics Clash with Eurosceptics. Most political parties represented in the Althingi, the Icelandic national parliament, are Eurosceptic in the sense that they oppose Iceland’s membership in the European Union (EU). Nevertheless, the vast majority of them support Iceland’s membership in the European Economic Area (EEA) and Schengen, and there is a cross party consensus on membership in the European Free Trade Association (EFTA). However, in recent years, the Icelandic political party system has become increasingly polarized around European integration. New Eurosceptical and pro-European parties have emerged, which either campaign to limit Iceland’s participation in the EEA and Schengen, or to join the EU. The established political parties which prefer the status quo have joined forces in a cross right-left coalition government. They have had to fight off fierce opposition from the Eurosceptic hard-liners to the implementation of the Third Energy Package of the EU within the EEA framework and pressure from the Europhiles to re-open the accession talks with the EU.
You will find the chapter in a book titled Euroscepticism and the Future of Europe: Views from the Capital  edited by in M. Keading, J. Pollak, P. Schmidt, Palgrave Macmillan, 2020.

New chapter on the The Nordic states Keeping Cool at the Top? with Jóna Sólveig Elínardóttir. The Nordic states have an international reputation for being among the most advanced, liberal, and egalitarian welfare societies in the world, as well as being active international players. Given their small state status, however, they face similar challenges when it comes to maintaining their influential positions, both at home and abroad. The main aim of this chapter is to examine how the Nordic states have dealt with these challenges and kept the Nordic model and their active international engagement intact. We argue that the Nordic states’ responses to current challenges are based on a profound understanding of their position as small states. They use their traditional, cautious and flexible approach, as well as their consensus seeking behaviour, when responding to economic, welfare and migration problems domestically, as well as confrontations by aggressive external actors. Simultaneously, they have sought political, economic and societal shelter provided by their close allies and international organizations and use these fora to continue their active international engagement. Thus, Nordic states generally cope and even prosper despite their size and related political, economic and societal vulnerabilities.
You will find the chapter in G. Baldacchino and A. Wivel (eds.) Handbook on the Politics of Small States, Edward Elgar, pp. 113-130.

Doing my bit on Small States at the OECD. I had the honour to speak about the ability of small states to influence decision making in international organizations at a meeting of ambassadors of small states in the OECD at the residence of the Icelandic ambassador, Kristján Andri Stefánsson, in Paris. It was great to meet representatives of small states who have the challenging task to try to have a say in the complex structure of the international system. We had lively discussions about the methods small states can use to exercise their influence in international organizations. Great to see that Iceland is taking the lead in getting small states together and finding a way for them to cooperate closer within the OECD. I finished my talk by saying something like: A strategy based on prioritisation, flexibility, informality, autonomy of officials and decisive knowledge combined with a positive image and political willingness can lead to negotiation successes of small states in international organizations.

Doing my bit on queer rights at the OECD in Paris. I had the pleasure and honour to give a speech on the development on queer rights in Iceland (From Oppression to Rainbow Revolution: LGBTQ Social Progress and Legislative Victories) at the second year anniversary of the Group of Friends of Gender Equality Plus. Iceland is doing a great job raising awareness of LGBTQ+ rights within the OECD under the leadership of Kristján Andri Stefánsson, the Icelandic ambassador. I spoke about how societies, in general, go through a number of stages in the process from intolerance to acceptance regarding queer rights - though their timeframes may be different and they may dwell shorter or longer at each state. I argued that the Icelandic society evolved in six stages. I finished the talk by saying: We will of course have to continue to fight homophobia and transphobia just like women continue to fight for equal social rights. Three final points. First, we need to make sure that LGBTQ rights are labelled human rights. Queer rights are human rights and we should never ever give discount on that fact. Second, securing full equal rights is like climbing a high mountain which in the beginning seems impossible. It is a challenging task, but the step-by-step approach (discussed in the speech) will slowly but steadily take us to the top. Finally, we have to make sure that the queer communities are visible on the way to the top. Silence is still the worst enemy.

What a mess! And lively debate on Facebook. Reyni hér að setja árás Bandaríkjanna í samhengi við gang mála í Miðausturlöndum. Það að Bandaríkin taki af lífi annan valdamesta mann Íran setur átökin á milli ríkjanna á nýtt og alvarlegt stig. Eigi að síður held ég að mikilvægt sé að halda sönsum og missa sig ekki í yfirlýsingum um árásina og hugsnlegum afleiðingar hennar: ,,... þegar við skoðum langtímastefnumótun Bandaríkjanna í Miðausturlöndum þá eru þeir að reyna að sporna við útþenslustefnu Írans sem þeim og stuðningsmönnum þeirra stendur veruleg ógn af. Íranar hafa verið að styrkja stöðu sína allverulega á síðustu árum og síðustu tveimur áratugum í Líbanon, Sýrlandi, Jemen og víða í Miðausturlöndum. Bandaríkjamönnum og Sádi-Aröbum þykir orðið nóg um og grípa í rauninni til þessara drastísku aðgerða til þess að reyna að senda Teheran skýr skilaboð: Hingað og ekki lengra.“