Public Lecture: An Anomaly in the Realist World – Power of a Small Country
Stanford University and Vabamu Museum present this hybrid lecture
April 8 @ 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm America/Los_Angeles
In person and online
About the event: Lithuania is a country with a millennia-long history and a very strongly developed sense of independence and statehood. Ever since Lithuania declared its independence in 1990, a country of just 2.8 million has stood in support of freedom fighters everywhere. When Russia started the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Lithuania became a model of support, sending equipment, taking in thousands of refugees, and standing with Ukraine on the diplomatic front. It is no secret that if Putin were to shift his march of aggression westward, the Baltic states, and among them Lithuania, could become a potential target. For realists in this world, it is a natural flow of history: the strong do what they can, and the weak suffer what they must. But it is clear that Lithuania is not preparing for demise; it shows that a small country can wield power that is not calculated in numbers of people, square kilometres of territory, or military divisions. In this lecture, Gabrielius Landsbergis will explore what gives a small country its power.
About the speaker: Gabrielius Landsbergis, formerly the minister of foreign affairs of the Republic of Lithuania, is the Bernard and Susan Liautaud Visiting Fellow at FSI, effective September 15, 2025.
As a Liautaud Fellow, Landsbergis will be deeply enmeshed in the daily intellectual life of the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, (FSI), with simultaneous affiliations with The Europe Center (TEC), and the Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law (CDDRL).
Prior to his appointment at Stanford, Landsbergis served as the minister of foreign affairs of the Republic of Lithuania. Previously, he was the chairman of the Homeland Union Party while concurrently a member of the Lithuanian Parliament. Before assuming these roles, Landsbergis was also a member of the European Parliament and began his career as a diplomat for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Lithuania.
Landsbergis’ tenure serving as Minister of Foreign Affairs was defined by a value-based approach to foreign policy. During his time in office, he cemented deepening transatlantic relations, sustained support for Ukraine, and the elevation of global partnerships as strategic pillars of Lithuania’s foreign policy.
All CISAC events are scheduled using the Pacific Time Zone.
No filming or recording without express permission from speaker.