Strategic Climate Balancing: What the International Community Can Do as the United States Steps Back
The United States’ withdrawal from international climate institutions under the second Trump administration poses a serious challenge to global climate cooperation. Given the scale of US emissions and the dismantling of federal climate capacity, the international community cannot depend on a future policy reversal in Washington. Instead, this policy brief advances a strategy of “climate balancing” that seeks to sustain decarbonisation by working around the US federal government. Climate balancing focuses on three priorities: direct engagement with US states and cities that continue to pursue ambitious climate action; the construction of industrial alliances that leverage clean energy constituencies through tools such as coordinated carbon pricing and border adjustment mechanisms; and reframing climate action as a matter of energy security and geopolitical competition, particularly in light of China’s growing dominance in clean energy supply chains. Together, these measures aim to limit free-rider dynamics, preserve momentum in global climate governance, and keep the conditions for eventual US re-engagement open, demonstrating that effective climate cooperation can persist even in the absence of US federal leadership.
The Evolution of African Armies: From Indigenous and Colonial Forces to Modern Military Forces
This book investigates how African armies in post-conflict societies are evolving and adapting to new and emerging threats. In recent years, multiple extremely complex armed conflicts have contributed to chronic instability and vulnerabilities in several African states and regions. This book investigates several key case studies to assess the development, deployment and use of African armies in different conflict environments. In particular, the book examines how African states have utilised bilateral partnerships, the deployment to international peacekeeping operations and military training to enhance security and military capacities as a way to tackle both emerging and existing threats at home. Ultimately, the book questions our past and current knowledge of African armies, arguing that current trends in their evolution suggest we need to rethink our understanding, given the vast tasks they are deployed to handle. As a result, the book seeks to explore ways in which we can invest in African armies that positively contribute to development and sustainable peace across the continent. Bringing together valuable empirical insights and critical conversations on the evolution of modern African armies, this book will be an important read for international and national policy actors, and for researchers working on African politics, conflict, security, peacekeeping, international relations, and sustainable development.
Securing the north: Nordic defence cooperation across the Baltic, Arctic, and North Atlantic
What does the Northern European security landscape look like today, and what is really bringing the Nordic countries closer together on defence? In this seminar, postdoctoral fellow Gabriella Gricius visits NUPI to present her forthcoming book on just that.
The EU and the Geopolitics of the Oceans
Norwegian Centre for Geopolitics: Alf Håkon Hoel (UiT) and Linda S. Dahlberg (UiT) analyse the EU's role as a geopolitical power in ocean governance. With 22 maritime member states and over five million km² of European sea areas, the EU is a significant actor at sea – though its influence varies considerably by region. While the Baltic Sea is almost entirely an EU domain, EU member states are actually a minority among the coastal states of the Mediterranean. The authors also examine ongoing initiatives such as the European Ocean Pact, the EU Arctic Policy and Horizon Europe, and discuss their implications for Norway as an EEA member and a key maritime nation in the High North.
Statslederens nye klær (The State Leader’s New Clothes)
Why and how do clothes matter to state leaders’ everyday work? This chapter analyzes how leaders’ clothing functions as a tool of signaling, identity, and power in the international political arena.
Breakfast seminar: Challenges with organizing post-war elections in Ukraine
This seminar will provide a space for informed discussion on the legal, operational, security and societal dimensions of post-war electoral preparedness in Ukraine.
Chinese Infrastructure Power in a Changing Global Landscape and its Alternatives
This seminar draws on five years of research to examine China's Belt and Road Initiative and its alternatives, from Europe and Latin America to Southeast Asia and the MENA region.
Governance and geopolitics of the maritime zones
The Norwegian Defence University College (FHS) is organising this half-day conference in collaboration with UiT The Arctic University of Norway and the Centre for Geopolitics.
Chinese infrastructure power in a changing global landscape and its alternatives
This seminar draws on five years of research to examine China's Belt and Road Initiative and its alternatives, from Europe and Latin America to Southeast Asia and the MENA region.
“Ambassador, you’re really spoiling us!” Diplomatic gifts and profligate autocrats
Qatar’s “unconditional” gift of a $400 million Boeing 747-8 to Donald Trump serves as a reminder that states have long used diplomatic gifts to impress others, forge bonds, and secure favorable treatment. However, in an age where citizens and media outlets routinely scrutinize public spending, there is good reason to think that not all governments are able to justify lavishing large sums on such interactions. In this paper, we test the claim that autocracies are less constrained in their diplomatic gift giving due to an absence of domestic accountability mechanisms. To evidence this, the authors draw on a dataset of diplomatic gifts presented to U.S. presidents from 2001 to 2018. The results show that autocratic regimes systematically spend more on diplomatic gifts than do democracies. Supplementary analyses suggest that this is, in part, due to new media in democracies being able to criticize profligate diplomatic practices. Interviews with Norwegian diplomats corroborate the importance of domestic media scrutiny in shaping diplomatic gift giving. The article contributes to scholarship that probes the relationship between regime type and public spending, by showing its relevance to diplomatic interactions.