Publications
Neglecting Local Realities: the Negative Impact of Protection in Abyei
The United Nations Security Council created the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (unisfa) in June 2011 to monitor the ceasefire and the demilitarisation of Abyei. The deployment of unisfa has led scholars to argue that unisfa’s protection of civilian operations and predicted favourable troop-to-population ratios have contributed to its noticeable success. However, the dynamics in Abyei have changed over the last few years, with an increase in inter and intra-communal violence. This has acclimated the mission being faced with new forms of criminality, violence and actor dynamics—such as the use of local and neighbouring militia for hire. Drawing on an interpretivist analysis of data generated from the single case study of unisfa, the paper argues that unisfa’s inability to use force at the start to protect has led the mission over time to entrench itself further inwardly, leading to patterns of passive response(s) to protection matters. As a result, unisfa implementation of Protection of Civilians (poc), neglects localisation realities producing further negative effects. The overreliance on the two-dimensional lens inhibits the mission’s ability to tactical evaluate, pivot and redeploy diverse tools that can support a response to protection issues. Consequently, unisfa’s failure to adapt to an evolving conflict environment allows dissatisfied communities to take matters into their own hands, resulting in further loss of trust in the mission.
Not What to Have, but How to Have It: Japan’s Debate on Acquiring Counterstrike Capabilities 2016–2023
As part of its historic defense buildup, Japan is incorporating counterstrike capabilities in its defense posture. While previous administrations were reluctant to pursue such capabilities, during the second Abe administration (2012–2020) the Liberal Democratic Party-Kōmeitō coalition eventually deemed them necessary for Japan’s self-defense. However, the belief that conducting counterstrikes is within the boundaries of Japan’s constitution and exclusively defense-oriented policy is contested. In this article, we study the parliamentary debate on acquiring counterstrike capabilities and examine how Japanese politicians discuss the parameters of the use of this controversial military instrument. Based on a content analysis of parliamentary transcripts, we find that three topics in particular are central to the debate on counterstrike capabilities: (1) the defense of Taiwan, (2) the role of the US in Japan’s defense and interoperability, and (3) the impact of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Although the opposition and ruling parties differ in their positions on the parameters for conducting counterstrikes, such an acquisition is no longer politically unsustainable. As such, the parliamentary debate is increasingly about the use and implementation of counterstrikes rather than their existence at all.
Sixty years of Nordic International Relations
In this contribution, the editors introduce the 60th anniversary Special Issue of Cooperation and Conflict . Emerging during the early Cold War, Cooperation and Conflict has over the years come to provide a forum for broad and pluralist theorizing within the discipline of International Relations (IR). The contributions in this Special Issue reflect on these intellectual trajectories, tracing how Nordic scholarship has simultaneously shaped and been shaped by global theoretical debates, underscoring the journal’s role as a pluralist and reflexive site of inquiry. At the same time, togther, shey showcase the breadth and scope of Nordic IR today, as well as changing notions of Nordic cooperation and the meaning of ‘Nordic’.
Climate, Peace and Security Fact Sheet: Abyei
The Abyei Administrative Area, a disputed territory that lies between Sudan and South Sudan, faces complex interconnected challenges. Communities in Abyei largely depend on climate-sensitive livelihoods such as cattle herding, farming and seasonal migration. Increased flooding and prolonged dry spells in recent years have reduced crop yields, affected livestock rearing and displaced households, which has deepened existing livelihood and security challenges. Limited basic services and poor infrastructure, combined with weak governance, constrain the coping capacities of local communities and increase their need for humanitarian assistance. Yet funding cuts and insecurity have led some humanitarian organizations to scale back operations, while the civil war in Sudan continues to increase humanitarian needs in Abyei. The territory’s disputed status further impedes long-term development planning to address interconnected challenges, including climate-related security risks.
Lithuania: Balancing Ambition with Capacity
In the Multinational Force Ukraine series of policy briefs leading experts from allied countries assess key factors for participation in the Multinational Force Ukraine. This includes the political willingness of allies to deploy troops—on the ground, in the air, or at sea—to establish a military presence in or around Ukraine. They also examine the conditions for such deployments to occur (before, during, or after peace negotiations), the roles these forces would be expected to perform (defensive or offensive), the red lines imposed by national governments, and the specific capabilities each country could realistically contribute. This brief analyses Lithuania.
The Netherlands: Unyielding support with some uncertainty
In the Multinational Force Ukraine series of policy briefs leading experts from allied countries assess key factors for participation in the Multinational Force Ukraine. This includes the political willingness of allies to deploy troops—on the ground, in the air, or at sea—to establish a military presence in or around Ukraine. They also examine the conditions for such deployments to occur (before, during, or after peace negotiations), the roles these forces would be expected to perform (defensive or offensive), the red lines imposed by national governments, and the specific capabilities each country could realistically contribute. This brief analyses the Netherlands.
Germany: heavy on funding, light on force
In the Multinational Force Ukraine series of policy briefs leading experts from allied countries assess key factors for participation in the Multinational Force Ukraine. This includes the political willingness of allies to deploy troops—on the ground, in the air, or at sea—to establish a military presence in or around Ukraine. They also examine the conditions for such deployments to occur (before, during, or after peace negotiations), the roles these forces would be expected to perform (defensive or offensive), the red lines imposed by national governments, and the specific capabilities each country could realistically contribute. This brief analyses Germany.
Coalition of the Willing for Ukraine: A Multinational Force in the Making
In March 2025, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron launched a Coalition of the Willing to support Ukraine. Militarily, 26 countries have reportedly committed to securing Ukraine with troops on land, at sea, and in the air “the day after a ceasefire or peace,” under a planned Multinational Force Ukraine. This briefing highlights the main findings from a collection of country profiles. It concludes that a Multinational Force Ukraine is still hypothetical, but if it materializes, coalition members will be in for the long run. European leaders should act, plan, and prepare based on that assumption.
End review, NORDEM programme 2021-2025
Norway's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) commissioned this review of the NORDEM programme 2021–2024, managed by NORCAP/NRC. The programme supports democracy, human rights, and peacebuilding through expert secondments to international organizations. While the original budget was NOK 455.3 million, actual expenditures with addenda ended up being NOK 483.7 million with the number of assignment-months increasing from 697 in 2021 to 812 in 2024, primarily to OSCE, UN agencies, and EU bodies.
Nordisk drejning i nordområderne
Engelsk: In the Norwegian Government’s new High North strategy, the Nordic region has a more prominent role. What does that mean – for the High North and for Nordic cooperation?