The World Stage

Come Back Alive and other volunteer organisations is an underappreciated, but important factor in Ukraine's fight against Russia. They are a vital part of Ukraine's resilience as the war enters its fourth year. Come Back Alive enjoys high trust, legitimacy and cooperates closely with the brigades in the field and the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense.Volunteer organisations show how popular mobilisation works in practice when the whole society wants to contribute to the war effort. As such, they also have important lessons for the Norwegian total defence concept. In this podcast episode we explore the role Come Back Alive and similar organisations are playing, how Norway and other states can increase their support, and what lessons they can hold for the Norwegian total defence concept. In the studio are Kate Leschyshyn from Come Back Alive, and NUPI researchers Øyvind Svendsen and John Karlsrud. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The American security guarantee to Europe appears to be less iron clad than it used to be. The Trump administration seeks to shift military assets from Europe to the Asia-Pacific and expect Europe to spend 5% of its GDP on defence. How dramatic are these changes? How will it happen? And will it make Europe more exposed and vulnerable to potential Russian aggression? In this episode Karsten Friis discusses these and other relevant questions, including the newly published British Strategic Defence Review, with Max Bergmann from CSIS and Neil Melvin from RUSI. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Is the UN's peacekeeping mission in Mali, and in larger sense UN Peacekeeping, a canary in the coal mine for international cooperation? What can it tell us about geopolitical tensions and cooperation among key powers? And what does the future hold for Mali and the Sahel? In this episode of the NUPI podcast The World Stage, Research Professor at NUPI John Karlsrud sits down with Arthur Boutellis to discuss the UN Peacekeeping mission in Mali, and Boutellis' new book titled The UN Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA): Caught in the Geopolitical Crossfire.Arthur Boutellis is a non-resident Senior Adviser at the International Peace Institute (IPI) and Adjunct Professor at Columbia University and Sciences Po. He has worked in Mali with the UN, supported policymakers in New York with research as the head of the Brian Urqhart Centre for Peace Operations at the International Peace Institute. John Karlsrud is a Research Professor and Head of the Research group on peace, conflict and development at NUPI. He has extensive experience as a researcher in the field of peacekeeping, peacebuilding and humanitarian issues. He previously served as Special Assistant to the United Nations Special Representative in Chad and as part of the UNDP's leadership programme LEAD. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How is climate change tackled as a potential threat to peace and security in the United States? How can American policy and discourses in the field be compared to those in other areas of the world? In this episode of The World Stage, Erin Sikorsky (Center for Climate Security) sits down with Cedric de Coning, Minoo Koefoed and Thor Olav Iversen (NUPI) to discuss responses to the effects of climate change on peace and security in the United States, Arctic, and geopolitical arenas. Erin Sikorsky is the Director of the Center for Climate and Security (CCS), and the International Military Council on Climate and Security (IMCCS) Cedric de Coning is a research professor at NUPI doing research on peace operations and climate, peace and security. Thor Olav Iversen and Minoo Koefoed are senior researchers at NUPI also specializing on climate, peace and security. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, we take a deep dive into the Comprehensive Planning and Performance Assessment System for UN Peacekeeping Operations (CPAS) with Kym Taylor who is the chief of the evaluation team within the Division for Policy, Evaluation and Training of the Department of Peace Operations, and Hans Sachs who is programme management officer in the same team. Host of the episode is Research Professor at NUPI Cedric de Coning. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Principal Investigator of the project The EU Navigating Multilateral Cooperation (NAVIGATOR), Research Professor John Karlsrud (NUPI), discusses the research agenda and how it will explore the ways in which the EU should navigate multilateral corporations. After presenting himself, the international team involved as well as the project's genesis, Karlsrud details the central research questions, the empirical focus and his ambitions for NAVIGATOR over the next two years.Host is Alix Bullman, NAVIGATOR's communication officer. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How big of a multilateral actor is China? How is it working to influence issues ranging from artificial intelligence to the war in Ukraine? Courtney Fung (Macquire University) sits down with Hans Jørgen Gåsemyr (NUPI) to discuss noticeable changes happening around China and the multilateral governance system in this episode of The World Stage.The episode includes discussion of the various global governance initiatives that China has made in recent years, its position on the war in Ukraine. and its work across the expanding digital technology governance agenda. Courtney Fung is an associate professor at Macquire University (Australia) and has written extensively on China and the UN and related global security governance issues.Hans Jørgen Gåsemyr is a Senior Researcher at NUPI, specializing in Chinese politics. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In 2016 in Havana, the Colombian government signed a peace agreement with the FARC-EP guerilla, after several years of first secret, and then official, negotiations. The Havana talks and peace agreement have been acclaimed as the most gender inclusive in history. 8 years later, what is happening with the implementation of the agreement, and what are women's roles in peace processes in Colombia today?In this episode, NUPI's Jenny Lorentzen sits down with Priscyll Anctil Avoine (@priscyll_), researcher in Feminist Security Studies at the Swedish Defence University, and Dag Nylander (@DagNylander), NOREF director and former mediator to the peace process between the Colombian government and the FARC-EP.Having researched the political participation of women ex-combatants in armed conflict and peace processes in Colombia for the last 10 years, Avoine brings to the conversation the perspective of the women ex-combattants and colombian activists, while Nylander shares insights from his direct experience in the negotiations. Together, they shed light on the role of gender and women's involvement in the Havana talks, the challenges related to implementing the 2016 agreement, as well as what lessons were learned in the Havana process that can be applied to the current negotiations with the ELN and future peace processes in Colombia.If you want to find out more about the political engagement of women ex-combattants in Colombia, you can follow @MujerFariana (the Farianas) and @CafAnaPaz1, an organization working for reconciliation and to recover the memory of women signatories of the peace agreement.This podcast is part of the project “Women, Peace and Security: Status Review and Study on Peace Processes in Colombia and South Sudan,” led by Jenny Lorentzen (@jennylorentzen). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How can we understand the African Union's evolving position in a changing global order from its role in the G20 and its peace initiatives in Somalia and Sudan?In this episode of The World Stage, Solomon Dersso (Amani Africa) and Cedric de Coning (NUPI) discuss this topic.Solomon Dersso is the founding director of Amani Africa, an independent pan-African policy research, training and consulting think tank with expertise on the African Union's policy processes, including especially the work of the Peace and Security Council.Cedric de Coning is Research Professor in the research group on peace, conflict and development at the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The global governance of digital technologies is frequently framed around a contest between two competing camps.One camp is the so-called like-minded states, led by the US, its European allies and democratic states like Australia and Japan.The other camp, often dubbed the sovereigntists, are a coalition of authoritarian states of which Russia and China are the most prominent.Within this bipolar framing, the rest of the world, collectively labelled the digital deciders, are pulled between the two competing positions. While their choices have consequences for the future trajectory of global digital governance, less attention is paid to their own objectives and policy goals.In this episode of NUPI's podcast series The World Stage, we welcome Arindrajit Basu. He is a PhD-student at the University of Leiden and previous research lead at the Centre for Internet and Society in India. Together with NUPI researchers Lars Gjesvik and Stein Sundstøl Eriksen, he discusses the limitations of not taking the position of countries like India seriously. He also talks about India's approach to global digital governance, and how it fits within its broader foreign policy objectives.The conversation is led by Lars Gjesvik. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On 12 June Russia celebrated its national day, “Russia day”. This day is marked with concerts and celebrations in all the regions in the Russian Federation. This year, alongside celebrations from Moscow, Novgorod, Buryatia and other Russian regions, the news on Russia's state-owned TV-channel Rossiya 1 showed images from the Kherson region, a Ukrainian territory annexed by Russia in September 2022. In the clip, teenagers were making cookies glazed in the three colors of the Russian flag. According to the voiceover these cookies were to be given to participants in the “special operation in Ukraine” – a euphemism for Russia's war against Ukraine. In this way, Russian propaganda attempts to normalize a view of the “new regions” as part of Russia thus potentially expanding the boundaries of the Russian nation. In this episode of the NUPI podcast The World Stage, we take a closer look at everyday nationalism. This approach focuses on how people consume, reproduce and challenge the nation through ordinary daily practices. We also talk about everyday nationalist practices that take place in Russia and Ukraine amidst Russia's war against Ukraine. Finally, we talk about the propaganda regarding the war which is conveyed daily to ordinary Russians through state television. Here, you will hear from J. Paul Goode, McMillian Chair in Russian Studies and Associate Professor at Carleton University, Marthe Handå Myhre, senior researcher at the Norwegian Institute for Urban and regional research (NIBR) and Natalia Moen-Larsen, senior researcher at NUPI. The podcast is produced as part of Russia Research Network (RUSSNETT) project. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of the NUPI podcast The World Stage, we take a closer look at the state of European democracy in the wake of the recent election to the European Parliament. What will be the outcome of the right wing wave and what does it mean for the state of democracy in the EU?NUPI Research Professor Pernille Rieker is joined by Guri Rosén, Associate Professor at the department of political science at Univeristy of Oslo, and Christophe Hillion, Research professor at NUPI as well as Professor of European Law at the University of Oslo. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Over a year into Xi Jinping's historic third five-year term as President, China continues to make headlines worldwide. Many of these headlines now suggest not only that China's rise is slowing down but that it is only increasing in controversial terms vis-a-vis the West. How are we to make sense of Xi's China today? And how should we consider history´s role in this understanding, particularly in the context of the great power competition between China and the US? What are the problems with comparing today's geopolitical landscape with the Cold War? And how should Norway navigate relations with China in light of the close China-Russia partnership? To explore these questions, NUPI Senior Research Fellow and Head of NUPI's Centre for Asian Research Wrenn Yennie Lindgren sits down with Professor Odd Arne Westad of Yale University and Professor Iver B. Neumann who is Director Fridtjof Nansen Institute (FNI). This episode of The World Stage is a part of the Geopolitics Center, led by NUPI. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2024 will be an important election year on both sides of the Atlantic. President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump are yet again battling each other in this years presidential race. Whatever outfall, we know it will have implications for Northern European security, in quite different ways. Biden has an understanding of the importance of NATO in Europe, however with a rising China, will US resources continue to shift towards the Indo-Pacific? Will a second Trump administration be as critical and skeptic towards its commitment to European countries and NATO? Either way, it looks like Europe needs to be ready to take further responsibility for their own security. UKs General Election will be taking place in July this year. Polls are showing that a political change may be on the steps, and that Labour is likely to become the new governing party. What will this mean for European security? How well would Labour's Keir Starmer cooperate with Trump on matters of security and defence?In this episode of the NUPI podcast The World Stage, we take a closer look at which implications the UK and US elections will have on Northern European security.Here, you will hear from Max Bergmann, Director of the Europe, Russia, and Eurasia Program and the Stuart Center in Euro-Atlantic and Northern European Studies at CSIS, Neil Melvin, Director of International Security at the Royal United Services Institute and NUPI Research Professor Karsten Friis. The conversation is hosted by NUPI Junior Research Fellow Gine R. Bolling. The conversation is based on the report US and UK Elections: Implications for NATO and Northern European Security written by Max Bergmann, Karsten Friis and Ed Arnold, who is a Senior Research Fellow for European Security within the International Security department at RUSI. This report is published as a part of the trilateral CSIS/RUSI/NUPI research cooperation on transatlantic security, funded by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As ad hoc coalitions (AHCs) proliferate, particularly on the African continent, two questions crystallize. First, what consequences do they bring about for the existing institutional security landscape? And second, how can the trend of AHCs operating alongside, instead of inside, international organizations be captured and explored conceptually?To answer these questions, Malte Brosig and John Karlsrud have in a new article in International Affairs examined the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) fighting Boko Haram and its changing relationship to the African Union. Through a case-study and a review of policy and academic literature, the article launches the concept of deinstitutionalization and how it can be characterized.The authors identify three features of deinstitutionalization, and in sum, the article unwraps processes of deinstitutionalization and identifies three forms of rationales for this process: lack of problem-solving capacity, limited adaptability and path dependency.In this episode of the NUPI podcast The World Stage, NUPI Research Professor Ole Jacob Sending sits down with the two authors to dig into the article and its findings.Malte Brosig is a Professor at University of the Witwatersrand. John Karlsrud is a Research Professor at NUPI. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why should we connect the environment to issues of peace and conflict? And in a world of dramatically increased geopolitical tensions, is it possible for cooperation on climate change and environmental issues to contribute to positive change at the level of great power politics? In this episode, Ashok Swain (Uppsala University) and Cedric de Coning (NUPI) talk about these issues with Thor Olav Iversen (NUPI). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Arctic continues to be transformed and impacted by global forces, from declining sea ice on the Arctic Ocean, through new summers of devastating wildland fires, to the wide-reaching political consequences of Russia's war against Ukraine.The Arctic is also a vibrant and varied region and homeland, and marked by three decades of post Cold War efforts at strengthening circumpolar governance.What options are there for moving Arctic governance forward, and what needs to be done first?In this episode of The World Stage NUPI Research Professor Elana Wilson-Rowe is joined in the studio by Edward Alexander, co-chair of the Gwich'in Council International, and Jennifer Spence, who is a Senior Fellow at the Arctic Initiative at the Harvard Kennedy School. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2023 marked 75 years of peacekeeping missions in the UN. In this time, more than 70 peacekeeping operations have been deployed by the UN. Hundreds and thousands of military personnel, UN police, and other civilians from more than 120 countries have participated in UN peacekeeping operations.So, looking only at the numbers, surely peacekeeping operations must have been a success? Recently, however, several countries have asked the UN to leave, including Mali and the Democratic Republic of Congo. So, what is this a symptom of? Where are we, 75 years after the first UN peacekeepers set their foot on foreign ground? Is this still functional? Has it worked so far? And if so, will it continue to do so in the future? What is the future for peacekeeping?In this episode of the NUPI podcast The World Stage, we take a closer look at what UN Peacekeeping mission are and whether they have been successful.In this episode you'll hear from David Haeri, (Director, Policy, Evaluation and Training Division, UN Peacekeeping) Annika Hilding Norberg (Head of Peace Operations and Peacebuilding, Geneva Centre for Security Policy), Tor Henrik Andersen (Minister Counsellor, Peace and Security, Africa, Norwegian Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York) and NUPI Research Professor Cedric de Coning. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode NUPI's Ole Jacob Sending sits down with Professor Dan Nexon of Georgetown University to talk about how international political leadership – or hegemony – is established and undone. Nexon argues that hegemony is established through the supply of (public) goods – such as security – for other states. This is what the US has been doing for decades, but now China is trying to replace the US, providing alternative goods and also seeking to reduce the value of what the US has to offer.This episode of The World Stage is a part of the Geopolitics Center, led by NUPI. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of The World Stage, we meet Dr. Paolo Benanti. Benanti, who is known for coining the term algorethics, is a professor in ethics of technology and a Franciscan monk. He is a member of UN Secretary General's High-level Advisory Board on Artificial Intelligence and also serves as an AI advisor to none other than Pope Francis. Joins us for an insightful conversation between Benanti and Dr. Niels Nagelhus Schia, head of NUPI's Research Center on New Technology.Why do we need ethics in the development of AI-technology? Is AI a sort of God? And what did the pope feel about the AI generated image of him in a white puffer coat? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of The World Stage, join us for an insightful conversation with AI expert Dr. Rumman Chowdhury, recently recognized on The Times list of the world's 100 most influential people in AI, and Dr. Niels Nagelhus Schia, head of NUPI's Research Center on New Technology. Chowdhury brings a unique perspective on the intersection of technology and society, advocating for the critical need for global oversight to ensure we shape a responsible AI future. It's not just about the code; it's about the guardians ensuring its ethical and impactful deployment. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of the The World Stage, NUPI researchers Thor Olav Iversen and Cedric de Coning discuss how to sustain peace amidst the uncertainty and unpredictability of complex crises.Cedric introduced the concept of adaptive peacebuilding in a 2018 article in International Affairs, and he and his co-authors has further developed the concept and tested it in several case studies in a recently published book Adaptive Peacebuilding A New Approach to Sustaining Peace in the 21st Century. Together with Thor Olav, he discuss their findings and reflects on what constitutes the liberal model of peace and why it has come under heavy criticism, the local nature of peace processes, the agency of the people affected by conflict and how peacebuilding efforts need to continuously adapt to the complex and dynamic realities on the ground. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Is the BRICS a geopolitical competitor to the West? In this episode of the NUPI podcast The World Stage, Thor Olav Iversen (NUPI), Cedric de Coning (NUPI) and Benedicte Bull (UiO) reflect on the driver and consequences of the expansion of the BRICS group of countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) to also include Saudi Arabia, Iran, Ethiopia, Egypt, Argentine and the UAE. What is the core project of the BRICS? Does this extremely diverse group of countries really have anything in common? Are we seeing a global resurgence of the Cold War non-alignment movement? These questions and more are discussed by the researchers who together cover a vast geopolitical space and some of the most pertinent questions of our time. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How should we regulate AI? How will AI impact the power balance between the US and China? And how does Microsoft navigate this complex landscape? In this episode, Brad Smith, Vice Chair and President of Microsoft, shares his unique insights on these questions and more. He is joined by CEO of NBIM (Norges Bank Investment Management) Nicolay Tangen and NUPI Director Ulf Sverdrup. This episode is released in collaboration with NBIM Podcast 'In Good Company': https://www.nbim.no/no/publikasjoner/podkast-in-good-company/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What issues are likely to be covered in the Agenda for Peace? Why is it important? UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, has called for a ‘New Agenda for Peace' that can help the United Nations and international community address the many complex challenges the world faces today. In this edition of the World Stage podcast, NUPI's Cedric de Coning is in conversation with Asif Khan, the Director of the Policy and Mediation Division of the Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs of the United Nations.The ‘old' Agenda for Peace refers to a policy document that was first released by UN Secretary-General Boutrous Boutrous Ghali in 1992. It was a landmark policy document that framed the UN's peace and security's theory of change around preventive diplomacy, peacekeeping and peacebuilding.This podcast considers the main issues that the New Agenda for Peace needs is likely to address, including new issues like the climate-peace nexus, and the risks and opportunities that new technologies like Artificial Intelligence may pose for international peace and security. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Visiting prisoners, assisting lost travellers and distressed expats. Consular work is often considered the ugly duckling of the foreign services, far away from the negotiating tables and corridors of power. Still, the duties of the consuls also include dramatic crises evacuations, such as the recent dramatic extractions of diplomats and foreign nationals from Sudan. Ian Kemish has a rich career in the the Australian Foreign Service, including as head of the consular service. His experiences from the diplomatic frontline have resulted in the book ‘The Consul'. In this episode of The World Stage, Ian Kemish and NUPI's Halvard Leira unpack the many-faceted and increasingly important role of consular work. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

UN peace operations are overwhelmingly deployed within societies fractured by civil war. To understand why the UN has encountered difficulties, operational and political, in these settings, one must understand the political economy of civil war.These informal networks of power and their consequences for efforts to end wars and build lasting peace, are examined this episode of The World Stage.Professors Mats Berdal (King's College London), Jana Krause (University of Oslo), and Cedric de Coning (NUPI) discuss how the power structures and conflict dynamics generated by these political economies interact with the UN missions themselves. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What are the reasons behind the limited impact of violent extremism and the Islamic State in the Kurdistan region of Iraq? In this episode of the NUPI podcast The World Stage, Dlawer Ala'Aldeen (Middle East Research Institute), Juline Beaujouan (University of Edinbrugh & Open Think Tank) and Morten Bøås (NUPI) are standing at the top of the citadel of Erbil in the Kurdistan region of Iraq to discuss this topic.This podcast is part of the PREVEX project. The project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 870724. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How do you find missing persons in the midst of war?Kathryne Bomberger, Director-General of the International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP), explains how her organisation investigate cases, search for, and identify missing persons in wartime Ukraine. The conversation is hosted by NUPI researcher Tora Berge Naterstad and produced as part of the RUSSNETT project. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Climate security was one of Norway's priority areas during its period as an elected member of the UN Security Council (2021–2022). What did Norway achieve? Hans Olav Ibrekk, Norway's Special Envoy for Climate, Peace and Security, and Florian Krampe, director of the Climate Change and Risk Programme at SIPRI, take stock on Norway's effort and lessons learned for others that will be working on this agenda in the future. Cedric de Coning, Research Professor at NUPI, is hosting the conversation. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Was there ever a deal to be had with Putin before the war? Is Russia mainly motivated by domestic or foreign policy considerations? And is there anything Western leaders can do to win hearts and minds in Russia? In this episode of The World Stage, Kadri Liik, senior policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations, and Julie Wilhelmsen, research professor at NUPI, discuss Russia-West relations before, in and after the war in Ukraine. The episode was produced as part of the RUSSNETT project. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of The World stage, Rana Mitter, Professor at the University of Oxford, and Bjørnar Sverdrup-Thygeson, Senior Research Fellow at NUPI, will first give an overview of China's key domestic issues, before analysing Beijing's foreign policy goals.Norway has a lot of experience dealing with The Soviet Union, and later, Russia, but China is a very different kind of actor. How should we politically position ourselves with a state that combines authoritarian governance with a historically unique economic success?Rana Mitter has co-written a report on resetting UK-China relations. What are his key points for reconceptualising Norway's relationship with the authoritarian superpower? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of the World Stage podcast, NUPI's Cedric de Coning is in conversation with Amitav Acharya and Stein Tønnesson on the emergence of non-Western and Global International Relations.The discipline came into being as an academic field during the past half-century when the US and its Western allies were the driving force behind globalization and the establishment of the global governance architecture. As a result, IR scholarship was mostly pre-occupied with international relations from a western perspective, and western – especially American – scholars, universities and research institutes dominated the field. Global IR is a movement to open up the field to non-western or Global IR theorizing and research.Amitav Acharya is a distinguished Professor of international relations at American University in Washington D.C. and one of the leading proponents of a movement in International Relations scholarship to globalize the theory and focus of IR research.Stein Tønnesson is a former Director of the Peace Research Institute of Oslo. His research has focused on the dynamics of peace and conflict in Asia.Cedric de Coning is a Research Professor with NUPI's Center for United Nations and Global Governance, and the coordinator of the Effectiveness of Peace Operations Network (EPON). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, has set a process in motion to re-think the UN's role in peace and security in the current global context. A team in the UN Secretariat is currently drafting a policy think piece called the New Agenda for Peace, which will be one of several thematic areas that will be considered at the 2024 Summit of the Future.The ‘old' Agenda for Peace was a major policy document that was produced under UN Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali in 1992. It framed the way the UN understood and approached preventive diplomacy, peacemaking, peacekeeping, and peacebuilding for the following two decades.The New Agenda for Peace is perhaps less ambitious, but the process provides us with an opportunity to reflect on how the UN's concepts and capabilities need to be adapted to remain relevant in today's rapidly changing global landscape.We have invited Ian Martin to help us talk through these questions. Ian has led the UN's human rights work in Rwanda and the process to organise a popular consultation in Timor-Leste. He was the deputy head of the UN peacekeeping operation in Ethiopia and Eritrea, and the Special Representative of the Secretary-General in Nepal. Following the 2011 international intervention, he was the UN's Special Representative in Libya.From 2014 to 2015, Ian was a member of the Independent High-Level Panel on United Nations Peace Operations, which is why we are looking in this episode at what the findings of this Panel has to offer for the New Agenda of Peace.In this episode Ian is in conversation with Cedric de Coning, a research professor with NUPI's Center for United Nations and Global Governance, and the coordinator of the Effectiveness of Peace Operations Network (EPON). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Russia's re-invasion of Ukraine in 2022 has had immediate and ongoing effects for Arctic security and cooperative governance at both a regional and international level. The region is impacted by the increased sanctions, the withdrawal of Western companies from Russia, the Western disconnect from energy dependencies, and has also witnessed an increase in hybrid security incidents. In addition, climate change continues at to change the environment at a staggering pace in the north.In a new report from NUPI and the Wilson Center, researchers argue that leaders must continue to address Arctic governance challenges and take concrete steps to mitigate and manage risks, regardless of the cessation of cooperation with Russia and the radical uncertainty shaping the broader political environment.This episode is with Mike Sfraga and Elana Wilson Rowe. The report can be downloaded for free here: http://ow.ly/4s5n50MV2uf Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Russian online magazine DOXA is this year's winner of the Norwegian Student Peace Prize. The committee highlights their work exposing corruption and sexual harassment at universities, documenting state persecution, and fighting government disinformation, as well as their uncompromising reporting on Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Because of the development in the political situation in Russia over the last years, the magazine now works through a network of editors who live in exile, local informants, and anonymous journalists.In this episode of The World Stage, DOXA editors Ekaterina Martynova, Nikita Kuchinskii and Aleksandra Guliaeva speaks to Tora Berge Naterstad about their work, their generation of young Russians, and how this generation is reacting to Russia's war on Ukraine. How do these three make sense of the turbulent journey that has taken them from joining a student newspaper at their university, to being part of a network of Russian independent journalist in exile across Europe? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What does resilience against radicalisation and violent extremism look like in Mali and the Sahel? And which drivers are present for the spread of extremism?In this episode of the NUPI podcast The World Stage, Abdoul Wakhab Cissé (ARGA) and Morten Bøås (NUPI) are sitting at the bed of the river Niger. This mighty waterway floats from the high plains of Guinea through Mali and Niger before it makes its way to the Atlantic Ocean through Nigeria. They are discussing the manifestation of violent extremism in Mali and neighbouring Sahel countries like Niger and Burkina Faso.This podcast episode is part of the EU-funded PREVEX project that aims to understand drivers of violent extremism and how local communities respond and resist through various ways of expressing resilience. PREVEX is funded by the European Union's Horizon 2020 programme under grant agreement No 870724. Read more about the project here: https://www.prevex-balkan-mena.eu/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After Vladimir Putin's announcement of the partial mobilization of the war in Ukraine in September, people, and in particular women, took to the streets in several of the republics in the North Caucasus. They protested this mobilization, saying that this war was one they couldn't agree sending their sons into. Even if these demonstrations on an international scale were quite small, and that they ended almost as quickly as they emerged, the protests can be seen as a sign of an increasing discontent with the center of power in Moscow. In this episode of the NUPI Podcast The World Stage, Badri Belkania explains why the protests in Chechnya and Dagestan are important, what they are a sign of and what they could turn into. Host for this episode is Marie Furhovden. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

De facto states - states that have failed to win international recognition - have long been understudied 'blank spots,' overlooked in academic literature and on maps. However, they play critical and contentious roles in international politics: Since the end of the Cold War, de facto states have been involved in a disproportionately large number of violent conflicts, resulting in their establishment, change of status, or elimination.In this episode of the NUPI podcast 'The World Stage', we turn our attention to Abkhazia, a de facto state in Southern Caucasus at the eastern coast of the Black Sea, and focus on its efforts to secure diplomatic ties in the post-Soviet space and beyond, as well as its relationship with its patron state, Russia. Episode host is Tamta Gelashvili (NUPI and University of Oslo). Guests are Donnacha Ó Beacháin (Professor at the School of Law and Government, Dublin City University) and Pål Kolstø (Professor at the Department of Literature, Area Studies and European Languages at the University of Oslo). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this podcast episode we take a closer look on how the EU will handle a new migration crisis. A new wave of mass migration to Europe might be building up according to several indicators. Is the EU better prepared now than during the refugee crisis in 2015? Or could this looming crisis be a new threat to the EU that will come on top of the war in Europe? How will that affect the European unity that we have been witnessing faced with the war in Ukraine?Listen in as Research Professor Pernille Rieker from NUPI interviews Professor Christian Kaunert from Dublin City University and University of South Wales. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this podcast episode we'll take a closer look at the relationship between the different ethnic groups in Mostar after the Balkan wars. What influences the resilience of different population groups to radicalization and violent extremism? One of the case study areas in the EU-funded PREVEX project is the Balkans. In this episode of the NUPI podcast The World Stage, we are zooming in on Mostar in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The famous bridge in Mostar represents a symbolic background for the social fabric that has suffered from the war in the 1990'ies. In 1993 the bridge was destroyed in the civil war that raged in the former Yugoslavia. On one side of the bridge, the Bosniak community was predominant, on the other side, the majority were Croats. The bridge was later rebuilt, but how are the relations between people in Bosnia and Herzegovina and in Mostar today, nearly three decades after the war ended? Do people from the different ethnic groups mix, socially, at school or at work? How is this different from before the war? What are the lessons to be learnt and what are the main challenges today? And with the recent general elections in the country, is there any hope for change? Listen in as Senior Research Fellow at NUPI, Kari Osland, discusses this with Professor Edina Becirevic (Security Studies at UNSA and co-founder of Atlantic Initiative) and politician Lana Prlic (Representative in the Parliament of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Vice President for SDP BiH). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How important are traditional values for Putin's support? How are they related to the war in Ukraine? And what does the future look like for the Putin regime? In the last decade, Russian authorities have adopted a strongly antiliberal rhetoric with attacks on Western secularism, multiculturalism, and alleged moral decay. This rhetoric has been followed up with new laws against blasphemy and “propaganda of non-traditional sexual orientations among minors”, decriminalization of wife battery, etc. In this episode of The World Stage, Tora Berge Naterstad discusses findings from the project “Value-based regime legitimation in Russia” (LegitRuss) with Professor Henry Hale. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why are some communities more likely to experience violent extremism than others? And why do most people living in enabling environments stay clear of radicalization?These are two of the core questions of the NUPI led EU project PREVEX that is now in its third year of research. In this episode of The World Stage, Marie Furhovden has invited three of the researchers involved in this project; Diana Mishkova, Luca Raineri and Stéphane Lacroix to give a run through of the findings in the project so far. Towards the end, Steven Blockmans is giving his view on what the research from this project can be utilized in the EU. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Has Russia's invation of Ukraine pushed the UN Security Council to the brink of existential crisis?As one of the veto powers, Russia is blocking all resolutions on Ukraine. And from the looks of it, the Security Council is paralyzed on an international crisis of historical dimentions. But is this really the case? Therese Leine, senior communications advisor, and Dr. Niels Nagelhus Schia, senior research fellow and social antropoligist, from The Norwegian Institute of International Affairs, visited the UN to find out. The guest in this episode of The World Stage is Sergiy Kyslytsya, Ukraine's ambassador to the UN. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On the 21 of March 2022, the Council of the EU adopted a Strategic Compass, a roadmap for the EU to become a stronger security and defense actor. But what does this really mean, and does it change the EUs role as a security actor in any significant way?Guest in this episode of The World Stage is Steven Blockmans, Research Director at CEPS and Professor at Amsterdam University. Host for this episode is Pernille Rieker, Research Professor and coordinator for the NUPI Center for European studies. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The eyes of the world are now pointed towards the horrible war in Ukraine. But right on the other side of the border, a concerning trend has been taking place for some time already. The Russian governments' grip on freedom of speech is tightening, day by day, restricting the everyday activities and professional life of Russian citizens. What does this mean for Russian academics? And is the latest development essentially the end of academic freedom in Russia? This episode was recorded on 6 April 2022. Participants are Julie Wilhelmsen (NUPI), Aude Merlin (l'Université libre de Bruxelles) and Mark Youngman (University of Portsmouth). Host is Marie Furhovden (NUPI). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After the invasion of Ukraine, Europeans are now rethinking its relationship with Russia, and its dependence on Russian gas. There is a strong desire by EU and European countries to reduce its dependence on Russian energy. Can Europe reduce its dependence on Russian gas? Is there a realistic roadmap? What are the steps that are necessary? And what would it take, in terms of investments, finance and political willingness?What can Norway do in order for Europe to ease this transition? Can Norway produce more gas?If Europe succeeds, what will this mean for Russia? And what are the Russians thinking about the current European strategy?In this episode, Jarand Rystad (CEO, Rystad Energy), discuss these questions together with Jakub Godzimirski (Research professor, NUPI) and Ulf Sverdrup (Director, NUPI). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On March 24, all Heads of State and Government in NATO met in Brussels for an Extraordinary NATO Summit to discuss NATO's response to the ongoing war in Ukraine. A few days before this, we had the chance to talk with NATO General Jörg Vollmer, Commander of Allied Joint Force Command Brunssum, and Lieutenant General Yngve Odlo, Commander of the Norwegian Joint headquarters in the Norwegian Defence about the challenges that Russia represents in the Baltic and High North Regions, and how NATO and Norway can best respond.Host for this episode is Senior Research Fellow and Head of Research Group on Security and Defense at NUPI, Karsten Friis. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How does the war in Ukraine affect security, trade, economy, and migration in Europe and in Norway?With Mark Leonard (Director, ECFR) and Ulf Sverdrup (Director, NUPI).The conversation is moderated by Tore Myhre (International Director, The Confederation of Norwegian Enterprise - NHO).This is a recording of a NUPI seminar held on 16 March 2022. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A discussion with the Head of NATO's Policy Planning Unit, Dr Benedetta Berti, about the new security situation in Europe and NATOs new Strategic Concept. Host for this episode is Senior Research Fellow and Head of Research Group on Security and Defense at NUPI, Karsten Friis. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Novaya Gazeta is one of the few remaining independent media outlets in Russia - still able to provide critical, fact-oriented and objective information to the Russian population within an ever-shrinking media space.The newspaper's editor, Dmitry Muratov, has been awarded the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize, and Elena Milashina herself has been awarded several prizes for her courageous work as a journalist.She is well-known for her investigative articles about human rights abuses in Chechnya, a small republic in the North Caucasus region of the Russian Federation which has sought independence and been subjected to all-out war two times since the fall of the Soviet Union.In this podcast NUPI researcher Julie Wilhelmsen discuss with Elena Milashina what it takes to cover regions of conflict and heavy human rights abuses. She will give an updated picture of the situation in the Chechen Republic and tell us why her work is important for the future. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.