A Postliberal Global Order? Challenge(r)s to the Liberal West
In a new report, NUPI’s senior researcher Minda Holm looks closer at which international order it is that is under pressure. What is the issue with seeing the world through the lens of a post-1945 Liberal International or Rules-Based Order? What do actors like Russia and China have in common with the populist radical right in their perspectives on global politics? And what does Donald Trump’s second term entail for the liberal West?
Breakfast seminar: India's rise and great power competition
India is the world’s largest democracy, has high economic growth, and is one of very few countries that cooperates with both Russia and the US. How does India balance between Russia, China and the US?
Water and Conflict in Central Asia
This project examines the escalating water scarcity crisis in Central Asia, focusing on key hotspots like the Qosh Tepa Canal, to analyze how climate change, population growth, and unilateral water st...
Mistra Mineral Governance (MISTRA)
MISTRA will help public and private decision-makers in Sweden and in the EU navigate the landscape of critical minerals and the low carbon energy transmission....
Tourists as a Means of Power
For many in Norway, Chinese tourists represent an important source of income. For China, tourism is hardline politics. Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide (Arbeiderpartiet) recently told Aftenposten that we must exercise caution regarding Chinese investments in critical infrastructure, but that this does not preclude a future free trade agreement. Minister of Culture Lubna Jaffery (Arbeiderpartiet) also seeks to strengthen cooperation with China. It is reasonable to question whether the government fully understands Chinese power politics. As China expert Torbjørn Færøvik emphasizes, it is one thing to work towards cooperation and dialogue with China, “but weaving the Norwegian economy into the Chinese one is something quite different.”
From possible conflict to wartime cooperation: Laying the foundations of regional cooperation in the Caspian Sea (2002–2018)
This research paper uses snapshots of media coverage in the Caspian states to explore the stateled region-building efforts around the Caspian Sea from 2002–2018. Counter to the dominant conflict thesis in the literature, the findings suggest that the five states have moved towards more comprehensive political and economic cooperation. Relations have gradually been anchored in an understanding of the Caspian Sea as a shared space with multiple interlinkages and dependencies, even describing it as a “sea of peace and friendship”. This depiction is maintained by the Caspian states, also after the Sea became an arena and lifeline for Russia’s war against Ukraine after February 2022. This paper provides background and analysis of the developing regional cooperation and explores in the conclusion how this cooperation has gained new salience in Russia’s response to the sanction regime.
NUPI to provide research support to Denmark in the UN Security Council
No Escape - On the frontlines of Climate Change, Conflict and Forced Displacement
The report, released today by UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, in collaboration with 13 expert organizations, research institutions and refugee-led groups, uses the latest data to show how climate shocks are interacting with conflict, pushing those who are already in danger into even more dire situations. Of the more than 120 million forcibly displaced worldwide, three-quarters live in countries heavily impacted by climate change. Half are in places affected by both conflict and serious climate hazards, such as Ethiopia, Haiti, Myanmar, Somalia, Sudan and Syria. Authors: (in alphabetical order) Rabeb Aloui (YOUNGO), Vicente Anzellini (IDMC), Ashleigh Basel (Alliance/CGIAR), Jana Birner (UNHCR), Oli Brown (Alp Analytica), Alessandro Craparo (Alliance/CGIAR), Cedric De Coning (NUPI), Margot Fortin (IMPACT Initiatives), Ruby Haji-Naif (YOUNGO), Xiao-Fen Hernan (IDMC), Rose Kobusinge (YOUNGO), Ochan Leomoi (Dadaab Response Association), Jasper Linke (IMPACT Initiatives), Sandor Madar (Alp Analytica), Brigitte Melly (Alliance/CGIAR), Giuliana Nicolucci-Altman (Alp Analytica), Henintsoa Onivola Minoarivelo (Alliance/CGIAR), Mohamed Othowa (Community Aid Network), Sylvain Ponserre (IDMC), Jonathan Tsoka (Alliance/ CGIAR), Cascade Tuholske (Montana State University), Jamon Van Den Hoek (Oregon State University), Kira Vinke (DGAP), Jeremy Wetterwald (IMPACT Initiatives), Michelle Yonetani (UNHCR), Andrew Zimmer (Montana State University).
Reforming the International Financial Architecture: Chinese Perspectives and Broader Developing Country Interests
The international financial architecture has long been ripe for reform, and several reform tracks are currently evolving with the potential to tackle some of the most debated issues. China, which among the top shareholders in all the architecture’s key institutions, is the world’s second-largest economy and the largest official bilateral creditor, plays a critical role in reform discussions. In this report, we discuss central reform issues and consider the Chinese perspectives and their relevance to broader developing country interests. The report concludes that China is actively involved and supports reform initiatives but is wary of changes that move around the bigger issue of country representation and voting.