Cooperation and Conflict marks 60 years!
The CoCo editorial team, consisting of Øyvind Svendsen (from left), Tora Naterstad, Kristin Haugevik, Paul Beaumont and Benjamin de Carvalho.
People
The anniversary marks a major milestone for the journal – which has developed from a Cold War-era publication into a global forum for diverse and critical International Relations (IR) scholarship.
From Nordic roots to global reach
Founded in the early 1960s, Cooperation and Conflict – CoCo among friends – has for decades provided a platform for broad, pluralist debates within IR. A new special issue, spanning close to 600 pages, brings together leading scholars to reflect on the journal’s intellectual trajectory.
The contributions trace how Nordic scholarship has both shaped – and been shaped by – global theoretical developments, while also showcasing the rich diversity of Nordic IR today and evolving understandings of Nordic cooperation.
“Working our way through those six decades of published scholarship, it became clear to us that many pieces published in CoCo came to set the pace of both research and policy in our region and beyond,” says Benjamin de Carvalho.
He is a Research Professor at NUPI and one of the journal’s current Editors in Chief. NUPI has been the institutional host for the journal since 2023. The other members of the team include Kristin Haugevik, Paul Beaumont, Øyvind Svendsen and Tora Berge Naterstad.
“It is striking how many leading Nordic IR scholars over the years have published in CoCo’s pages,” adds Kristin Haugevik, CoCo’s other Editor in Chief. “These contributions have included discussions of Nordic security, Nordic balance, and the meanings of neutrality, as well as themes such as European integration, global governance, international institutions, and peacekeeping.”
In recent decades, CoCo has broadened its focus to questions of identity, norms, and discourse, while engaging with urgent global challenges such as climate change, migration, peace, and transformations in the international order. These strands underscore the journal’s enduring role as both a chronicler of Nordic experiences and an active participant in wider IR debates.
Overwhelming response
According to Associate Editor Paul Beaumont, the call for contributions to the sSpecial iIssue on Nordic IR generated an overwhelming response. “We are proud to present 21 strong contributions, including a forum and a review essay. The issue features both established and emerging scholars, many – but far from all – based in the Nordic region”, he points out.
The articles in the special issue are organized under four headings:
- Intellectual Lineages and Disciplinary Trajectories explores the history and current status of Nordic IR.
- Constructing Nordic Security examines questions of security and insecurity for Nordic states and the region.
- Changing Nordic Internationalism and Diplomacy looks outward, engaging with Nordic roles beyond the region.
- Theoretical Debates in IR highlights contemporary discussions that have shaped the discipline in recent decades.
Strong engagement from the research community
“The articles we have collected for this issue all engage with, and advance, ongoing theoretical debates that CoCo has long sought to cultivate. We are proud to publish this", says Associate Editor Øyvind Svendsen.
Most articles figuring in the issue were sent in through the call for articles which had a deadline in January this year. Editorial Assistant Tora Naterstad commends authors for their efforts in finalizing the pieces. “We have worked with a tight deadline to get this issue ready in time for the jubilee,” she says, expressing gratitude to the more than seventy reviewers who have contributed on the way.
The journal is owned by the Nordic International Studies Association (NISA) and published by SAGE.