The University of Washington, College of Arts & Sciences, The Icelandic Ministry of Fisheries and Agriculture, The Consulate General of Iceland in New York, The Trade Council of Iceland, The Fisheries Association of Iceland and Icelandic® USA, Inc., request the pleasure of your company at the University of Washington at the Hogness Auditorium, Room A420, from 6-8 p.m. on Thursday, September 10th, 2009.

Moderator:
Ph.D. Christine Ingebritsen, Professor of Political Science, Department of Scandinavian Studies, University of Washington, College of Arts & Sciences.

Presenters:
Dr. Sigurgeir Thorgeirsson, Permanent Secretary, The Icelandic Ministry of Fisheries and Agriculture. Dr. Thorgeirsson will present the Icelandic government’s fisheries policies. Mr. Daniel A. Murphy Jr., Executive Vice President, Icelandic® USA, Inc. Mr. Murphy will discuss Iceland’s project to document and communicate responsible fisheries and plans to certify the Icelandic fisheries.

Panel Discussion:
Dr. Sigurgeir Thorgeirsson, Permanent Secretary, The Icelandic Ministry of Fisheries and Agriculture. Mr. Daniel A. Murphy Jr., Executive Vice President, Icelandic® USA, Inc. Mr. Hlynur Gudjonsson, Consul and Trade Commissioner, Consulate General of Iceland in New York.

Please RSVP to:
blax@mfa.is

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The Department is offering two courses this summer:
Term A: Sexuality in Scandinavia (SCAND 367) taught by Dr. Ia Dubois
Term B: Introduction to Folklore (SCAND 230) taught by Dr. Guntis Smidchens

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The Power of Scandinavia

Although Scandinavia may not be highly visible in world politics, the region has a quiet influence on global society. This lecture will highlight some of Scandinavia’s noteworthy contributions, such as institutionalizing “sustainable development” as a global practice; defining the possibilities for poverty elimination through generous and consistent aid to the poor; and awarding a prestigious prize for peace, a legacy of Swedish industrialist Alfred Nobel.

Celebrating its 100th anniversary, the Department will participate in The Centennial Series: Beyond the American Point of View with a lecture by Professor Christine Ingebritsen.

A century ago, the young University of Washington was growing and reaching out to the world, not only with the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition, held on campus in 1909, but also with two new academic departments: Scandinavian Languages and Department of Oriental History, Literature, and Institutions.

Those two departments, each with a single faculty member in 1909, have since expanded and transformed to become four College of Arts & Sciences departments: Scandinavian Studies, Asian Languages and Literature, Near Eastern Languages and Civilization, and the Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies. The Centennial Lecture Series highlights these departments with presentations and panel discussions featuring the UW’s renowned faculty.

All four celebrate their centennial anniversary in 2009. Register for this free event, which will be held in from 7-9pm on November 12th in Kane 120.

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From a Cold War to a Cold Peace. Time for a Revival of Disarmament?

The Department of Scandinavian Studies and the Alumni Association were honored to welcome Swedish diplomat Dr. Hans Blix to campus for a guest lecture on October 18th. Now you can view Blix’s speech, From a Cold War to a Cold Peace. Time for a Revival of Disarmament? online in streaming and downloadable video. Blix underscores the impact of our current political climate on world affairs and feature his insight and expertise regarding instituting change via weapons control.

Born in 1928 in Uppsala, Sweden, Dr. Blix’s career has largely been in politics and public service. From January 2000 until June 2003, he was appointed Executive Chairman of the United Nations Mentoring, Verification and Inspection Commission for Iraq by the UN Secretary-General. In early 2004, Dr. Blix chaired the independent international Weapons of Mass Destruction Commission. He has received several honorary doctorates, is the recipient of many decorations and awards, and has written numerous books on international and constitutional law and articles relating to energy and the problems of the spread of nuclear weapons.

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Middleton has been the Director of the Office of Nordic and Baltic Affairs in the European Bureau at the Department of State since September 2006.  Prior to that, she served in Helsinki, Prague, and Tallinn. She will make two presentations in the Department on February 15, 2007 entitled: “A View from the State Department” and “The Best of Friends: US-Baltic relations today.

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Sweden and Europe and the Era of Globalization: How are Europe and Sweden Performing?

Gunnar Lund
Swedish Ambassador to the United States

Ambassador Lund will speak in Christine Ingebritsen’s International Political Economy course.

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Coercive Diplomacy: Theory and Practice

Peter Viggo Jakobsen
Visiting Scholar, MIT; Associate Professor, University of Copenhagen

Kristin Bakke, Ph.D. Candidate in the Department of Political Science, will serve as discussant.

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Current Challenges and Future Prospects in the Arctic

Olav Orheim
Senior Advisor for the Ministry of Environment, Norway

During the Cold War, the Arctic was a stable area of little or no multilateral cooperation. The demise of the Soviet Union and the rise of oil prices have changed the dynamics considerably. The Arctic is now a major oil and gas province (USGS estimates that 25% of the global total of oil is in the Arctic). It is also a little-disturbed area, now undergoing faster climate change than the rest of the world. Orheim's talk will examine the new opportunities and challenges for industry and nation states posed by the Arctic region.

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The University of Latvia after European Union Enlargement

Professor Ivars Lacis has served as Rector of the University of Latvia since 2000. His lecture will address the academic, administrative and financial challenges faced by the University of Latvia after that country’s accession to the European Union in May of 2004.Lacis has served as Advisor of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Latvia; a Member of the Senate of the Latvian Academy of Sciences, and the Latvian National Committee of UNESCO. He is an Officer of the Legion of Honour of France.

Prof. Lacis has been a researcher and faculty member at the University of Latvia since 1969. He is currently also Head of the Laboratory of Optical Materials at the Institute of Solid State Physics. His research and multiple

publications are in the fields of Optometry and Vision Science, Crystal Growth, and Glass Structure. He has taught courses in Semiconductor Microelectronics, Technology of Integrated Circuits, Solid State Chemistry, Experimental Physics, Optometry, and Physiological Optics, and is Director of Bachelor and Master Study Programs in Optometry.

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Northern Europe: From the Cold War to Cooperation

Matti Anttonen, Minister and Deputy Chief of Mission for the Embassy of Finland in Washington D.C.,asks: What has made Northern Europe the most dynamic region in post-cold-war Europe? What role did enlargement of the EU and NATO play? How do EU-Russia relations develop during the period? Is the Russian economic model sustainable and will Russian energy help to cut energy prices in the US? Is the Scandinavian model truly facing a crisis? What role does Finland play in all this? Lecture to be followed by Q & A and discussion.

Matti Anttonen served as Deputy Director General of the Eastern Division of the Finnish Ministry of Foreign Affairs from 1996 to 2001. He has also served as Director for Russian Affairs at the Ministry. In the early period of Finland’s EU-membership, Anttonen was responsible for EU-Russia relations and Russia-related trade policy in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. From 1991 to 1994, he dealt with trade policy questions at the Finnish Permanent Representation in Geneva. From 1987 to 1991, he was posted at the Finnish Embassy in Moscow.

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Pathways to Peace: Norway’s approach to democracy and development

The Wang Center for International Programs at Pacific Lutheran University presents a public forum on the Norwegian approach to achieving world peace through conflict resolution, economic development and relieving global poverty. Press Release [PDF]

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