China and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (CHINSDG)
What are Chinese priorities in relation to the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and how do Chinese actors promote their interests and prospects for international cooperation...
China and Multilateral Development Banks (KINMDB)
How and why is China strengthening its position in the major development banks? ...
Breakfast seminar: Street versus system – the protest wave in the Middle East
Over the past months, popular protests have shaken the rulers of Algeria, Lebanon, Iran and Iraq. In this breakfast seminar, NUPI researchers discuss the nature of the protests and the prospects for change.
Står den liberale epoken for fall?
30 years after the fall of the wall the world is more about continuity than change.
State-owned Enterprises and the Trade Wars
Do state-owned enterprises (SOEs) and state capitalism create unfair competition in international markets? Empirical evidence surveyed in this brief suggests that from the turn of the century, state-owned enterprises (SOEs) indeed started competing increasingly with private firms, trading across borders and establishing themselves abroad through foreign direct investment. Some SOEs benefited from government-granted advantages unavailable to their private peers. International legal disputes involving SOEs have multiplied, and discussions of new trade and investment policy initiatives aiming to discipline SOEs have emerged. However, opinions differ as to what are the best policy approaches. The OECD Guidelines on SOEs would go a long way towards maintaining an international level playing field, but these are not mandatory and therefore unevenly implemented. WTO law gives countries freedom in managing their SOEs and focuses instead on disciplining government actions which may distort competition in international markets, irrespective of their ownership status. Some recent preferential trading agreements (PTAs) have included new SOE-specific disciplines that may influence future policy developments. On-going concerns about the allegedly unfair trade practices in emerging market economies with large state sectors, most notably China, are likely to strengthen the pressure for a closer scrutiny of SOEs and a development of new national and international disciplines. Improved transparency and disclosure are likely to be a common denominator of these new initiatives.
Common Fear Factors in Foreign Policy (COMFEAR)
COMFEAR aims to identify key issues of common concern and shared threats as perceived by publics and policymakers in Czechia and Norway. ...
Global trade policy at the crossroads (UD trade policy seminars)
In this project, NUPI will contribute to address the need for knowledge on the feed on the new global trade situation. ...
NATO-ledermøte under mørke skyer
NATO's Leadership Meeting will take place 3-4 December to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Alliance. However, dark clouds are casting shadows over the celebration.
WTO and the trade war: The end of peaceful conflict resolution?
If president Trump doesn’t change his mind, the WTO will be in a crisis from 11 December. What has caused the crisis, and can it be resolved?
China's Realism in the Middle East
While the United States is seeking to adopt a lower profile in the Middle East, China's interests in the region is expanding. This raises questions about the future of China's strategy towards the region. Will China seize the opportunity to establish a heavy military presence, cultivate client states, build alliances and ultimately replace the US as the regional hegemon? In this article, we argue that there is little reason to expect any major shift in China’s strategy. Beijing will seek to expand its influence, but in a less forward way than the US, adopting more subtle means and a more flexible policy towards its partners. China’s foreign and security policy in the Middle East will probably remain pragmatic and restrained. Unlike the United States, China's foreign policy is not based on values and ideology, but firmly on realpolitik principles and considerations of interests.