Revisiting the Case of Ethnography and International Relations
This article revisits the debate on the role of ethnography in International Relations. It primarily does this by elucidating three points of tension in the literature on ethnography in International Relations. Firstly, it tackles the challenges related to ‘getting on’ with ethnography after the reflexive methodological developments that have taken place within anthropology since the 1980s. Secondly, it investigates how to overcome certain matters of scale and how to conceptualise the ‘international’ methodologically, or more specifically, ethnographically. When looking at issues that somehow exist and operate on the international scale, the ethnographic task of immersion in local scenes does sometimes seem like an ill-suited approach. However, I argue, this problematisation is dependent on a certain methodological understanding of what the international is. I attempt to formulate an alternative methodological approach that takes seriously the idea that international relations always can be accessed locally. This paper suggests that one of the main solutions to the obstacle of scale is methodologically abandon the imaginary of totalities as a higher level. In this way, ethnography can enable important understandings of social relations that exist across scales of local and global.
The EU’s international cyber and digital engagements
Digital transformation is a key priority for the European Union. It drives economic growth and enables societal development. However, the EU’s leadership in digital matters and its capacity to deliver are not universally recognised. There is skepticism about the EU’s leadership and its vision for a human-centric digital future - one that places human rights and the rule of law at the center of technological innovation and digital transformation. Simultaneously, the EU’s global influence is limited by its own ability to deliver certain critical capabilities in the digital and cyber domains. While expectations for the EU’s role have grown, cyber and digital policies are governed primarily by an intergovernmental method. This policy brief looks at how the EU frames and implements its international cyber and digital engagements with third countries. What drives the cooperation and and what are the specific tools and mechanisms deployed by the EU? The policy brief also considers implications for Norway.
Staying Outside the EU Does not Make Norway’s Climate Policy More Ambitious
This article is in Norwegian only. The article discusses Norway’s climate policy in light of the country’s non-membership status in the European Union (EU). Despite claims that Norway, staying outside the EU, may have greater autonomy in shaping climate policy, the study shows that this does not necessarily lead to more ambitious climate targets. Since 2009, Norway has chosen to align itself with the EU, cooperate on climate issues and update its targets in line with European ones. Through a comparison with Sweden, an EU member, the article examines how EU membership has not limited Sweden’s ability to pursue an ambitious climate policy nationally and internationally. The article also reveals the challenges Norway faces as a result of its outsider status, particularly in the energy sector, where dependence on hydropower and the oil and gas industry causes problems for climate policy. Despite Norway’s international initiatives in climate finance and forest conservation, the article argues that EU membership would not necessarily limit Norway’s role as a global climate leader. Finally, the study points to the challenges of remaining outside the EU and emphasizes the need for a thorough assessment of the potential benefits and limitations of such a position.
Krig i Europa – Hva skjer med Nordens forsvars- og sikkerhetspolitikk?
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Har Putin satt Sikkerhetsrådet sjakkmatt?
Har krigen i Ukraina dyttet sikkerhetsrådet ut i en eksistensiell krise? Spørsmålet har kommet til uttrykk i flere debatter, både i Norge og inter...
Kan EU takle en ny flyktningkrise?
Flyktningkrisen i 2015 var et sjokk for de europeiske landene, og EU har fått kritikk for hvordan de håndterte den på. Nå er det flere ting som ty...
Libanon på kanten av stupet
Hva er det med Libanon som gjør at landet står på kanten av stupet? Det er ikke en ettpartistat, de har mer ytringsfrihet her enn i andre land i r...
The UN Secretary-General’s New Agenda for Peace: What new challenges will it address?
What issues are likely to be covered in the Agenda for Peace? Why is it important? UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, has called for a ‘New...
Does BRICS' expansion signify conflict between the West and the rest?
Is the BRICS a geopolitical competitor to the West? In this episode of the NUPI podcast The World Stage, Thor Olav Iversen (NUPI), Cedric de Conin...
How to Become a Hegemon
In this episode NUPI's Ole Jacob Sending sits down with Professor Dan Nexon of Georgetown University to talk about how international political lea...