Wrenn Yennie Lindgren

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Wrenn Yennie Lindgren is a Senior Research Fellow and Head of Center for Asian Research at the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI), as well as an Associate Research Fellow at the Swedish Institute of International Affairs (UI).
Her main research interests are: foreign policy analysis, international relations in East Asia and the Indo-Pacific, the politics and foreign policy of Japan, and Asia-Arctic diplomacy.
Recent research projects have focused on: Japan’s foreign and security policy legitimation; infrastructure power and responses to China’s Belt Road Initiative (BRI); Japan’s multilateral engagement, including NATO-Japan relations; identity politics in Sino-Japanese relations; Japan-Russia energy cooperation; Japan’s engagement in Southeast Asia; and alternative alignments in the Indo-Pacific. In addition, since joining NUPI in 2013, Wrenn has worked on issues related to Asia-Arctic diplomacy.
Wrenn currently leads the multi-year project Roads to Power? The political effects of infrastructure projects in Asia (ROADS) , funded by The Research Council of Norway. She also co-leads the international research project ‘Coercive and Emotional Diplomacy in East Asia: Japanese Responses’, funded by Nordforsk, and co-developed and participates in the projects Chinese Anger Diplomacy (ANGER) and China and Evolving Multilateral Craftmanship in the Age of Digitalization (CHIMULTI), both funded by The Research Council of Norway.
Wrenn’s peer-reviewed work has appeared in, inter alia, The Pacific Review, The Hague Journal of Diplomacy, Japanese Journal of Political Science, Asian Perspective, Asian Politics & Policy, Polar Geography and Journal of Eurasian Studies. She co-edited the volume China and Nordic Diplomacy (Routledge, 2018) and contributed chapters on Japan to the volume Kinship in International Relations (Routledge, 2018) and The Routledge Handbook of Arctic Security (Routledge, 2020).
Wrenn holds a PhD in International Relations from Stockholm University and master's degrees in International Policy Studies (Monterey Institute of International Studies, U.S.) and Asia and Middle East Studies (University of Oslo). She has extensive fieldwork experience in Japan and was a Japan Foundation Fellow at Meiji University from 2018-2019 and visiting fellow at Waseda University`s Graduate School of Asia Pacific Studies (GSAPS) in Tokyo.
Education
2016-2021 Stockholm University, PhD in International Relations
2018-2019 Visiting Researcher and Japan Foundation Fellow, Meiji University, Tokyo
2012-2014 University of Oslo, MPhil Asia and Middle East Studies
2007-2011 Monterey Institute of International Policy Studies, MA International Policy Studies
2009-2010 Waseda University Graduate School of Asia Pacific Studies, Tokyo, Visiting Graduate Student
2008-2009 The Inter-University Center for Japanese Language Studies, Stanford University, Yokohama
2004-2007 Pepperdine University, BA International Studies and French
Work Experience
2021- Senior Research Fellow, NUPI
2017- Associate Fellow, Swedish Institute of International Affairs (UI)
2013-2021 Research Fellow, NUPI
2016-2017 Visiting Research Fellow, Swedish Institute of International Affairs (UI)
2011-2013 Communication Consultant, Freelance
2011 Junior Fellow, Office of the Rector, United Nations University (UNU), Tokyo
2010 APEC Liaison, Economic Section, U.S. Embassy Tokyo, U.S. Department of State
2010 Intern, Political Section, U.S. Embassy Tokyo, U.S. Department of State
2007-2008 Graduate Research Assistant, East Asia Nonproliferation Program, James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies
2005-2007 Teaching Assistant, French Department, Pepperdine University
2006 Intern Analyst, International Affairs and Trade Section, U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO)
Publications All publications
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Anarchy is a Bridge: Russia and China are Pushing NATO and Japan Together
Publication | 2023After nearly 70 years of distant relations, security ties between NATO and Japan are flourishing. A number of important initiatives have recently bee1
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Asia-Arctic Diplomacy a Decade Later: What has changed?
Publication : Popular scientific article | 2023Ten years ago, five Asian states – China, India, Japan, Singapore, and South Korea – joined the Arctic Council as observers. This article discusses h1
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Navigating ASEAN-Myanmar Relations: The Phnom Penh Summit as a Critical Juncture for (Dis)Engagement
Publication : Article | 2022This article considers recent internal developments in Myanmar and how they strain external relations with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations1
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The Abe Legacy
Publication : Policy Brief | 2022With the terrible assassination of former Prime minister of Japan, Abe Shinzo, an important, but not always uncontroversial, political era in Japan i1
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Japan ruster opp
Publication : Op-ed | 2022(This op-ed is in Norwegian): Japan kan få det tredje største forsvarsbudsjettet i verden, skriver Wrenn Yennie Lindgren og Per Erik Solli i denne DN1
Projects All projects
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Arctic Pressures (ArcPres)
Research project | 2022 - 2025 (Ongoing)Russia’s reinvasion of Ukraine in 2022 precipitated a challenging new chapter for Arctic political and security dynamics. Going forward, security and governance developments in the region will continu...
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Chinese Anger Diplomacy (ANGER)
Research project | 2021 - 2024 (Ongoing)Do liberal-democratic states yield to public criticism by China? ANGER approaches this question by focusing on China's use of "anger diplomacy" - public, vehement displays at the state ...
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Roads to Power? The political effects of infrastructure projects in Asia (ROADS)
Research project | 2020 - 2025 (Ongoing)Does investing in roads and railroads in another country generate increased political influence? ROADS seeks to answer this question by zooming in on China´s role in building high-speed railways (HSR)...
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China and the Nordics Seminar Series
Research project | 2015 - 2017 (Completed)What roles can the Nordic countries play in China’s emerging European engagement?...
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Advancing female leadership in the institute sector (NUPIBAL)
Research project | 2013 - 2017 (Completed)NUPIBAL promotes gender equality at NUPI....
Events All events
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Norwegian Foreign Policy Conference 2023: Response – Norwegian foreign policy for a new era
EventTue 21 Mar 2023Time: 09:00 Europe/Oslo | Location: Marmorsalen på Sentralen, OsloThe Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and NUPI have the pleasure of inviting you to the Norwegian Foreign Policy Conference 2023, 21 March at Sentralen, Oslo.
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Breakfast seminar: Constructing China’s Belt and Road amidst Pandemic and War
EventFri 10 Jun 2022Time: 11:00 Europe/Oslo | Location: NUPIChina’s Belt and Road Initiative is evolving, but the Covid-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine are stirring questions about its paths. Are the original Chinese visions and ambitions still intact and how are construction projects and overall plans affected?
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Webinar: Ocean Governance: Sustainability and security seen from Japan and Europe
EventTue 15 Mar 2022Time: 11:00 Europe/Oslo | Location: Microsoft TeamsThis webinar offers views on core ocean governance challenges and reflections on how to strengthen ocean-related cooperation from Japanese and European perspectives.
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Xi Jinping’s China – what does the future hold?
EventSun 26 Nov 2017Time: 13:00 Europe/Oslo | Location: NUPIChina's president has now started his second term at power. What is the future outlook for the country's economy? And how does Japan perceive its neighbour?
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Breakfast seminar: Japan’s Security and Foreign Policy Challenges on the Korean Peninsula
EventMon 16 Oct 2017Time: 08:30 Europe/Oslo | Location: NUPINorth Korea’s rapid progress in developing nuclear and missile programs has posed a grave security threat to the international community. Dr. Junya Nishino visits NUPI to discuss this threat from a Japanese point of view.
Articles All articles
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Government allocates NOK 45 million to Geopolitics Research Center led by NUPI
26 Jun 2023The centre will specifically examine the rivalry among major powers like China, Russia, the USA, and regional centres of power. The generated researc1
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Russia, Asia and International Trade
3 Jan 2022What is the role of Russia, the Arctic and Asia in global politics? How are these societies developing? How do international trade, innovation and po1