The NAWA Chair Days point to the fact that living in times of uncertainty and change can be challenging. The study of world politics appears to be particularly unprepared to deal with unexpected events. By bringing together some of the leading global interlocutors in these conversations, the goal of the event is to illuminate the issues, frameworks, and dynamics of the growing complexity of global life.

The Roundtable on "Small States and Great Powers" will focus on the issue of the role of small states as “pawns,” “rooks” or, at best, “knights” on the chessboard of global politics. According to this narrative, while the game of world politics may be marked by local “kings” and “queens,” the only actors that can really play it are the “great powers” of the day. Participants in this roundtable seek to examine the validity, history, current dynamics, and future trajectories of the agency of small states on the world stage.

The NAWA Chair Days are part of the project entitled ‘Promoting Order at the Edge of Turbulence,’ which is co-financed by the Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange and National Science Center within the NAWA Chair programme.