Frontline Thinking: Latvia and the New Security Landscape

In this talk, Ivars Lasis will explore the shifting geopolitical landscape shaped by strategic competition between Russia, China, and the United States, and the dilemmas it poses for smaller states. He will consider whether the current international order is fundamentally broken or undergoing a transition, and what role small and middle powers in Europe and NATO can meaningfully play in either scenario. The talk will explore transatlantic relations and the internal cohesion of the European and NATO alliance structures before turning to the practical question of how states strengthen their own and regional security, including in emerging domains such as cyber and foreign information manipulation and interference (FIMI).

Mr Ivars Lasis is the Undersecretary of State – Political Director of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Latvia since August 2024. In this capacity, he oversees Latvia’s foreign and security policy, including political relations with the European Union and NATO, policy planning in security and defence matters, bilateral relations and coordination with international organisations. Mr Lasis served as Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the Republic of Latvia to the Political and Security Committee of the European Union until July 2024. He also served as Deputy Permanent Representative of the Republic of Latvia to NATO and Director of the Security Policy Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He holds academic qualifications in foreign languages and international relations from the University of Latvia and has undertaken studies in the United Kingdom, Sweden and Denmark.

All welcome but please register via the link or to css@vuw.ac.nz.