Implementing Economic Security in Norway: Lessons from Japan
While few OECD countries have experiences in making a shift to economic security and operationalizing the term, Japan is an outlier. Japan was the first country to implement legislation on economic security with the Economic Security Protection Act (ESPA), in 2022. As a first mover, Japan stands out as one of the few cases to draw on in developing lessons learned and identifying the challenges in putting economic security into practice. In this report, we consider how economic security has been implemented in Japan, the development of a holistic whole-of-government approach, and the importance of developing a uniform conceptualization of economic security adopted coherently across public and private organizations. Subsequently, we briefly examine the perspectives of the Nordic states and their respective evolving approaches to economic security. Finally, we outline some lessons learned and key experiences and discuss their relevance for the Norwegian context.
Implementing Economic Security in Norway: Lessons from Japan
While few OECD countries have experiences in making a shift to economic security and operationalizing the term, Japan is an outlier. Japan was the first country to implement legislation on economic security with the Economic Security Protection Act (ESPA), in 2022. As a first mover, Japan stands out as one of the few cases to draw on in developing lessons learned and identifying the challenges in putting economic security into practice. In this report, we consider how economic security has been implemented in Japan, the development of a holistic whole-of-government approach, and the importance of developing a uniform conceptualization of economic security adopted coherently across public and private organizations. Subsequently, we briefly examine the perspectives of the Nordic states and their respective evolving approaches to economic security. Finally, we outline some lessons learned and key experiences and discuss their relevance for the Norwegian context.
Becoming allies: Finland and Norway after Russia's invasion of Ukraine
This article analyses Finland and Norway’s evolving narratives about one another as neighbours, partners, and allies against the backdrop of political and scholarly discourses about the broader Nordic security community. Drawing on International Relations (IR) theories on regional security complexes and security community formation, we find that a swift reframing of the Finnish-Norwegian relationship was possible after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 because it was formulated against the backdrop of the already established narrative about the well-functioning and trustful Nordic security community. The intense interaction dynamics between Finland and Norway in recent years have brought the Nordic security community to an unprecedented level of integration, and an all-time high sense of ‘we-ness’ now characterises Finnish-Norwegian relations.
Training folk internationalists: Foreign policy identity and children’s news
How are new generations of policymakers and subjects introduced to ‘the world out there’ – and to their own state’s ambitions, practices, and impacts within that world? While multiple studies have explored the role of education in fostering national identities more broadly, the relationship between education, mass media and foreign policy identity has attracted limited scholarly attention. Using Norway as an exploratory case, this article takes a first stab at addressing this knowledge need. Theoretically, we institute a dialogue between scholarly work on how foreign policy identities are (re)produced through everyday representations and practice, and work on how education and mass media shape public debate and the subjects partaking in it. Empirically, we offer the first study of how foreign policy is communicated to children through tailored media outlets.
Reviving Nordic Security and Defense Cooperation
In the wake of Finland and Sweden’s accessions to NATO, the alliance’s northern military power will be greatly expanded—if the Nordic and Baltic states adequately coordinate to overcome risks such as overstretching and competition. Finland and Sweden’s entry into NATO is rightly hailed as a historic event: It represents the first time in centuries that all the Nordic countries are in a military alliance. As a result, enthusiasm for reinvigorated security and defense cooperation can be felt across the Nordic region. But this path is not straightforward, and the countries in the region face challenges ranging from overstretch to regional grievances to strategic messaging. Despite the fresh enthusiasm, it is worth remembering that the new Nordic defense integration must take place within the larger NATO framework. Finland and Sweden’s formal accession to the alliance represents the beginning of a lengthy process for both countries, and it will take time before they are fully incorporated into all NATO structures. This article discusses some of the opportunities and challenges the two countries and the broader Nordic-Baltic region are facing in this process.
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The New Superpower: India's Role in the Arctic
India’s growing role in the Arctic is reshaping global dynamics. How will this influence the region and the world?
The New Superpower: India's Role in the Arctic
India’s growing role in the Arctic is reshaping global dynamics. How will this influence the region and the world?