Thórdís Kolbrún Reykfjörd Gylfadóttir, Iceland’s former Minister of Foreign Affairs and current Special Envoy for children in Ukraine, joins H.R. McMaster to explore the U.S.-Iceland relationship and the significance of NATO. She sheds light on the plight of Ukrainian children amid the conflict, discussing trauma and accountability. The conversation touches on Iceland's role in Arctic security, its renewable energy potential for data centers, and the country’s appeal to travelers, all while emphasizing the importance of community engagement and resilience.
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insights INSIGHT
Ukraine's Stolen Children Tragedy
Russia unlawfully abducted over 30,000 Ukrainian children, separating them from their families and homeland.
Tracking and raising awareness about these stolen children is crucial for justice and peace negotiations.
insights INSIGHT
Putin Fears Free Ukraine
Putin seeks to control Ukraine because he fears strong, free neighboring societies.
Ukrainians fight to become part of the transatlantic democratic family respecting freedom and rule of law.
volunteer_activism ADVICE
Support Ukraine to Prevent War
Support Ukraine quickly and generously to help them win and prevent wider conflict.
Consider support as insurance to avoid far costlier wars and protect shared freedoms.
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In this book, Joseph Nye explains the concept of 'soft power' as the ability to shape the preferences of others through appeal and attraction, rather than through coercion or payment. He argues that soft power is derived from a country's culture, political values, and foreign policies, and that it is a crucial component of international relations. Nye differentiates soft power from hard power, emphasizing that soft power works indirectly by shaping the environment for policy and can take years to produce desired outcomes. He also discusses the challenges and benefits of wielding soft power in international politics[2][3][4].
Join Thórdís Kolbrún Reykfjörd Gylfadóttir, Iceland’s former Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Hoover Senior Fellow H.R. McMaster, as they discuss the evolving U.S.-Iceland relationship, Icelandic-European relations, and the continued security challenges of the Arctic. Appointed as the Special Envoy of Council of Europe Secretary General on the situation of children of Ukraine, Gylfadóttir provides an insight into her vital role in raising awareness of the challenges facing the children of Ukraine, the driving forces behind Putin’s behavior, and why sustained support for Ukraine from Europe and the US is critical. Iceland a founding member of NATO, Gylfadóttir discusses the importance of NATO to transatlantic security from an Icelandic perspective, the importance of the transatlantic relationship in the fight against Russia, China, North Korea and Iran, as well as current priorities for the US-Iceland relationship and why Americans should experience a visit to the country of Iceland.
ABOUT THE SPEAKERS
Thórdís Kolbrún Reykfjörd Gylfadóttir is the Special Envoy of Council of Europe Secretary General on the situation of children of Ukraine. Gylfadóttir previously served as Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2021 to 2023 and once more in 2024, Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs from November 2023 to April 2024, Minister of Justice, and Minister of Tourism, Industry and Innovation from 2017 to 2021. She was the youngest woman to serve as a minister. Since 2016, Gylfadóttir has represented the Independence Party in Iceland’s parliament, the Althing, and was appointed vice-chairman of the party in 2018. She holds a master’s degree in law from Reykjavik University.
H.R. McMaster is the Fouad and Michelle Ajami Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University. He is also the Bernard and Susan Liautaud Fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute and lecturer at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business. He was the 25th assistant to the president for National Security Affairs. Upon graduation from the United States Military Academy in 1984, McMaster served as a commissioned officer in the United States Army for thirty-four years before retiring as a Lieutenant General in June 2018.
Battlegrounds With H.R. McMaster: International Perspectives 