Professor of Political Science, University of Iceland
Email: baldurt@hi.is
Biography
Baldur Thorhallsson is a Professor of Political Science, and founder and Research Director for the Centre for Small State Studies, at the University of Iceland. His research focus has primarily been on small states, small state theory, European integration, the foreign policies of the Nordic states. His recent articles are included in The Hague Journal of Diplomacy, Scandinavian Journal of History and Global Affairs. His latest edited books are titled Iceland’s Shelter-Seeking Behavior: From Settlement to Republic (Cornell University Press 2021), Small States and the New Security Environment (co-editor)(Springer 2021) and Small States and Shelter Theory: Iceland’s External Affairs (Routledge 2019).
He has been a visiting fellow and taught on small states at several universities, such as the Queen Mary University of London, the Military Academy of Lithuania, Williams College (MA, USA), Tallinn University of Technology and Paris-Sorbonne University–Paris 4. He holds a PhD (1999) and MA (1994) in Political Science from the University of Essex in the United Kingdom.
Title of Presentation
Shelter-seeking Behaviour of Small States in the International System
Abstract
My presentation will be about a new small-state theory on the behavior of small states in the international system. Shelter theory is an attempt to bring together a number of important insights from other theories and research, which we have found inadequate on their own. We basically claim that traditional IR theories fail to grasp the broad domestic incentives behind small states’ alignment with larger states. Small states seek shelter provided by larger states and international organizations for domestic reasons as much as for international ones. Hence, small states seek political, economic and societal shelter provided by larger states and international organizations.
Publications from the Author
Books
- Thorhallsson, Baldur (ed.). 2021. Iceland´s Shelter-Seeking Behavior: From Settlement to Republic, Ithaca, New York: Cornell University Library.
- Brady, Anne-Marie and Thorhallsson, Baldur, (eds.) 2021. Small States and the New Security Environment. Cham: Springer.
- Thorhallsson, Baldur (ed.) 2019. Small States and Shelter Theory: Iceland’s External Affairs. Routledge.
- Arnórsson, Auðunn, Baldur Thorhallsson, Pia Hansson and TómasJoensen, (eds.) 2015. Saga Evrópusamruns: EvrópusambandiðogþátttakaÍslands (History of European integration: The European Union and Iceland’s engagement in the European project). Reykjavík: Háskólaútgáfan (University of Iceland Press).
- Thorhallsson, Baldur. 2000.The Role of Small States in the European Union. Aldershot: Ashgate.
Book Chapters
- Wivel, Anders, Thorhallsson, Baldur& Steinsson, Sverrir. 2021. From rebellious and relucatna allies to reliant partners- Denmark and Iceland in transatlantic relationship, in T. Weiss and G. Edwards (eds.) Small States and Security in Europe: Between National and International Policymaking, Routledge, 137-154.
- Thorhallsson, Baldur, Kulli Sarapuu & Anders Wivel. 2021. “Analysing Small States in Crisis: Fundamental Assumptions and Analytical Starting Points”, in Joensen T. & Taylor I. (eds.) Small States and the European Migrant Crisis: Politics and Governance, Palgrave, pp. 19-40.
- Thorhallsson, Baldur and with AM. Brady. 2021. “Small States and the Turning Point in Global Politics”, in B. Thorhallsson & AM. Brady (eds.), Small States and the New Security Environment, Springer, 1-11.
- Thorhallsson, Baldur. 2021. Conclusions. Iceland and Shelter Theory Across History, in Iceland's shelter seeking behavior: From settlement to Republic, ed. Baldur Thorhallsson, Cornell University Press.
- Thorhallsson, Baldur & Joensen, Tómas. 2021. Iceland's External Affairs from the Napoleonic Era to the Creation of the Republic in 1944: Danish Societal and Economic Shelter in an Anglo-American-dominated North Atlantic, in Iceland's shelter seeking behavior: From settlement to Republic, ed. Baldur Thorhallsson, Cornell University Press.
- Thorhallsson, Baldur & Kristinsson, Thorsteinn. 2021. Iceland's External Affairs from 1400 to the Reformation: Anglo-German Economic and Societal Shelter in a Danish Political Vacuum,in Iceland's shelter seeking behavior: From settlement to Republic, ed. Baldur Thorhallsson, Cornell University Press.
- Thorhallsson, Baldur. 2021. Iceland's External Affairs in the Middle Ages: The Shelter of Norwegian Sea Power, in Iceland's shelter seeking behavior: From settlement to Republic, ed. Baldur Thorhallsson, Cornell University Press.
- Thorhallsson, Baldur & Steinsson, Sverrir. 2021. Shelter Theory and Smallness in International Relations, in Iceland's shelter seeking behavior: From settlement to Republic, ed. Baldur Thorhallsson, Cornell University Press.
- Thorhallsson, Baldur. 2021. Introduction: The Small, Independent, Free, Loving Nation versus the Large, Dominant, Uncaring Foreigners, in Iceland's shelter seeking behavior: From settlement to Republic, ed. Baldur Thorhallsson, Cornell University Press.
Journal Articles
- Thorhallsson, Baldur, Elínardóttir, JónaSólveig and Eggertsdóttir, Anna Margrét “A Small State's Campaign to Get Elected to the UNSC: Iceland's Ambitious Failed Attempt”, the Hague Journal of Diplomacy 17, 2022: 1-31.
- Thorhallsson, Baldur, Steinsson, Sverrir and Kristinsson, Thorsteinn. 2018. “A Theory of Shelter: Iceland's American Period (1941-2006)”. In Scandinavian Journal of History, Vol. 43, No. 4, 2018, pp. 539-563.
- Thorhallsson, Baldur. 2018. “Nordicness as a shelter: the case of Iceland”. In Global Affairs, published online 24 September.pp. 1-14.
- Thorhallsson, Baldur. 2018. “A small state in world politics: Iceland’s search for shelter”. In Icelandic Review of Politics and Administration: Special Issue on power and democracy in Iceland, pp. 61-82.
- Thorhallsson, Baldur. 2018. “Studying small states: A review”. In Small States & Territories,”Vol. 1, No. 1, pp. 17-34.
- Thorhallsson, Baldur and Pétur Gunnarsson. 2017. “Iceland's alignment with the EU-US sanctions on Russia: autonomy versus dependence.” Global Affairs 3(3): 307-318.
- Thorhallsson, Baldur and Rainer Kattel. 2013. “Neo-Liberal Small States and Economic Crisis: Lessons for Democratic Corporatism.” Journal of Baltic Studies 44(1): 83-103.
Other Academic Publications
- Thorhallsson, Baldur & Grímsdóttir, Snæfríður. 2021. Lilliputian Encounters with Gulliver: Sino-Iceland Relations from 1995-2021. Report. Reykjavik: Centre for Small State Studies and Institute of International Affairs at the University of Iceland, 2021, 1-33.
- “Nordic responses to Brexit: Making the best of a difficult situation”,.NUPI Policy Brief, No. 7, with Björn Fägersten, Pétur Gunnarsson, Kristin Haugevik, Juha Jokela, Catharina Sørensen and Anders Wivel. The Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI), 2018.
- The Small-State Survival Guide to Foreign Policy Success”, with SverrirSteinsson in The National Interest, Foreign Policy Experts Roundtable, 28 September 2017.
- “A Small State Seeking Shelter - Iceland's Search for Shelter”, Policy Brief no. 16. Small States and the New Security Environment (SSANSE), Research Project. Presented at the conference: ‘Small States and the Changing Global Order: New Zealand Faces the Future’ at University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand, 3-4 June 2017.
- “Iceland’s Relations with its Regional Powers: Alignment with the EU-US sanctions on Russia”, with Pétur Gunnarsson. Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI) Working Paper 874, 2017.
- Europe: Iceland Prefers Partial Engagement in European Integration. A short analytical paper published by the Centre for Small State Studies, June 2014.
- “Iceland and Europe: Drifting further apart?” with Alyson JK Bailes. Briefing Paper published by the Finnish Institute of International Affairs, September 2013.
- “Iceland’s contested European Policy: The Footprint of the Past – A Small and Insular Society” in Jean Monnet Occasional Paper Series, 02/2013, Institute for European Studies, University of Malta