Democratic backsliding, illiberal regimes and international cooperation under pressure
The international system faces its gravest crisis in decades. As global democracy retreats, authoritarian regimes actively challenge established i...
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.
Fellesskap i fare
Norge og Europa i en ny verdensorden. Hvordan skal det gå med Europa når måten verden virker på endrer seg totalt? De siste årene har europeiske politikere hatt hendene fulle med å samle støtte til Ukrainas krig mot Russland. I mellomtiden går stormaktene rundt oss bort fra samarbeid, og mot rivalisering og konkurranse. For EU er det heller ikke mye hjelp å hente fra Donald Trumps USA. Den liberale orden som har bidratt til dyp fred i Europa forvitrer for hver dag som går, også støttet av reaksjonære krefter innad. Alt dette fører til at Europa og EU nå konsentrerer seg mest om ett politisk spørsmål: sikkerhet. Men kan EU bli en fullstendig sikkerhetsorientert union og samtidig forsvare sine grunnleggende verdier – demokrati, menneskeverd og frihet? Hvordan kan disse verdiene stå seg i møte med all verdens sikkerhetsutfordringer? Og hvordan kan Norge som et europeisk land utenfor EU manøvrere i den nye verden som vokser frem? Øyvind Svendsen, seniorforsker ved Norsk Utenrikspolitisk Institutt (NUPI), skildrer noen av vår tids største utfordringer på en lett og konsis måte.
The Neighbourhood: Europe’s enlargement moment
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For over a decade, the TaxCapDev network has brought together scholars and practitioners to examine how taxation shapes governance, state-building, and development. This final conference (21–23 October 2025) offers both a moment of reflection and an opportunity to ask where research and policy should go next.
Tarald Gulseth Berge
Tarald is an Associate Professor in Political Science at the School of Business of the University of South-Eastern Norway, and adjunct researcher...