Publications
Towards a Postliberal Global Order? The Crises of the Liberal West
This article is in Norwegian. The article discusses the weakened position of the liberal West in global governance, and the significance of Trump’s USA in this landscape. The first part of the article outlines three central ideological and geopolitical developments related to global order that run counter to the dominant dichotomies between the West and the non-West, democracies and autocracies. Although the world is changing, and the post-1989 form of liberal hegemony is in significant reverse, global politics will not become post-liberal any time soon. The second part discusses how the Western self-image as a unified liberal «us» has unraveled throughout the 2000s. First, Western states have systematically undermined some of the values and institutions they have claimed to represent. The gap between self-image and reality, in parallel with extensive outward moralization, has created a significant legitimacy crisis for the West. Second, the far right has become a central part of the Western political landscape. The new transatlantic community of values under Trump is not liberal, but radical right-wing. The tensions within the community of shared values will be there regardless of who’s in power in the USA. The conclusion is that it is no longer possible to talk about a unified Western liberal «us». Continuing to insist on it will only further strengthen the West’s internal and external tensions.
Dictating the Agenda: The Authoritarian Resurgence in World Politics
This book examines how authoritarian states have repurposed tools, norms, and actors previously used to promote Western-backed liberalism, now turning them against liberal ideas. After the Cold War, democratization appeared to signal the decline of authoritarianism, but recent developments show a significant shift. The authors introduce the concept of “authoritarian snapback,” in which non-democratic states curb the spread of liberal ideas domestically while promoting anti-liberal norms globally. Drawing on case studies, purpose-built databases, and interviews, the book demonstrates how authoritarian states challenge liberal influence through media agreements, consumer boycotts, sports investments, university programs, and restrictions on foreign journalists, among other methods. It offers a fresh perspective on the shifting global political landscape and the limits of liberal influence.
Tempo og effektivitet i Norges støtte til Ukraina
Norge skal i 2025 gi 72,5 milliarder kroner i militær støtte til Ukraina. Med denne økningen er Norge helt i toppen blant landene som gir støtte til Ukraina, som andel av BNP. Men hvor mye penger Norge bruker på støtte til Ukraina er kun én side av saken. Et annet spørsmål er om norske myndigheter klarer å bruke disse pengene raskt nok og på en måte som setter Ukraina i stand til å forsvare seg mest mulig effektivt. Denne policy briefen identifiserer ukrainske behov, norske begrensinger og gir innspill til hvordan Norge kan lykkes best mulig med å bidra til økt ukrainsk kampkraft.
The Identity Factor in Chinese Relations with Europe: China and the Barbarian Civilization
This book offers a sustained, historically grounded analysis of the identity factor in China-Europe relations. The identity of the modern Chinese state was forged in the context of European emissaries, gunboats, and books. The effects still shape China’s policies towards Europe today, as it becomes a focal point in the great power competition between the US and China. The author argues that identity dilemmas are central to Chinese Europe policies, both past and present. This is reflected in the two-pronged composition of the book; one historical section, combined and complemented with one contemporary section. Case studies of three key political flashpoints between the EU, individual European countries, and China over the last two decades, demonstrates the contemporary relevance of a set of identity issues whose deep roots are uncovered through analysing Chinese political texts from the preceding two centuries. Aimed primarily at scholars and students of Chinese and European international relations, this book will also be of interest to scholars of ontological security theory, constructivism, and other identity-driven approaches to international politics.
Stuxnet, revisited (again): Producing the strategic relevance of cyber operations
More than a decade after Stuxnet hit the Natanz uranium enrichment facility in Iran, it is still discussed as the most vivid example of a cyber operation causing kinetic damage to infrastructure with implications for national security. This article shows that Stuxnet is due a revisit by arguing that the operation represents a paradigmatic shift in perceptions that continue to produce the meaning of ‘strategic relevance’ for cyber operations. The exceptional story of Operation Olympic Games and the Stuxnet malware has underpinned the way contemporary understandings of the (potential) role of cyber operations in international conflict prevail. Through a critical review of academic and policy discourse largely driven by orthodox perspectives on strategic security, the article demonstrates how these perspectives continue to influence American and Western policy objectives based on the imagined utility of cyber operations as an instrument of power. When exploring the strategic relevance of cyber operations as historically and politically produced, tied up in discursive and material interactions, it allows for scholars across the spectrum of security studies to critically consider the emergence of ‘new’ security threats and strategic capabilities.
Polish-Norwegian Perceptions and Interactions
This working paper which is one of deliverables of the NORPOLFACTOR project maps mutual perceptions of Poland in Norway and Norway in Poland, the basic ideas informing their approaches to security-related challenges caused by their location in Russia’s neighbourhood as well as what could be termed as areas of cooperation and points of contention in their cooperation on addressing various security related challenges in the context of the ongoing war in Ukraine.
Poland and Norway in their regional strategic contexts
This working paper examines the role of regional cooperation in shaping Polish and Norwegian foreign and security policy. The focus is on the role of regional cooperation frameworks in this context, including the Weimar Triangle, the Bucharest Nine, Visegrad Four, the Three Seas Initiative, Nordefco, Joint Expeditionary Force, European Intervention Initiative and Framework Nations Concept.
Global militær integrasjon i Indo-Stillehavet
Kinas militære opprusting, mer provoserende adferd mot nabostater, og økende grad av samarbeid med Russland, Nord-Korea og Iran har vært katalysatorer for tettere militær integrasjon mellom stater i flere verdensdeler som alle har en felles interesse av å balansere Kina. Den sikkerhetspolitiske dialogen og det militære samarbeidet i Indo-Stillehavet foregår ikke innenfor rammen av en internasjonal organisasjon eller allianse, men i all hovedsak mellom stater i både Asia, Stillehavet, Nord-Amerika, Sør-Amerika og Europa. Nasjonalstatene har inngått et stort antall bilaterale, trilaterale og multilaterale avtaler som har resultert i fremveksten av et omfattende og komplisert sikkerhetsnettverk i Indo-Stillehavet. Samvirket på tvers av landegrensene skjer i hovedsak i rammen av en rekke flernasjonale militære øvelser i Indo-Stillehavet. I tillegg er det et samarbeid innen forsvarsindustrien. Forsvarssamarbeidet resulterer i en stadig økende grad av integrasjon og interoperabilitet, som igjen legger forholdene til rette for å kunne etablere militære ad hoc koalisjoner ved behov. Oppdatert versjon ble publisert 28.04.25.
Norsk russlandspolitikk i krigens tid: Skjulte, men uomgjengelige dilemmaer
(This book is in Norwegian): Boken "Dilemmaer i norsk utenrikspolitikk" diskuterer Norges handlingsrom, avveininger og valg i møte med vår tids store utenrikspolitiske dilemmaer. Dette kapitlet omhandler forholdet til Russland.
Selected bibliography Kjetil Selvik 1973 - 2024
Kjetil Selvik leaves behind an impressive body of work, remarkable for both its breadth and depth. In that sense, the work reflects the man. Kjetil was versatile and talented, perceptive and thorough. Selecting from his output is therefore a risky undertaking, but we have nonetheless ventured to choose a handful of his texts to illustrate precisely those scholarly qualities. The selected bibliography in this booklet reflects the main pillars of Kjetil's Middle East research: 1. Industrial policy and the effects of economic liberalisation; 2. Authoritarian regimes in the Middle East; 3. Religion and politics; and 4. Media and politics. The publications touch on Syria, Kuwait, Dubai, Tunisia, Lebanon, Iran and Iraq, among others, and include journal articles, edited volumes and monographs.