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Diplomacy and foreign policy

What are the key questions related to diplomacy and foreign policy?
Publications
Publications
Report

Norske interesser og multilateralt samarbeid. Multimeldingen – fem år etter

The White Paper 'Norway’s role and interests in multilateral cooperation' (Report to the Storting No. 27 – 2018-2019) – hereafter called 'the Multilateral Report' – contains a thorough analysis of multilateral cooperation and Norwegian interests. It describes the various functions of multilateral cooperation, how disagreements between major powers affect such cooperation, and how this impacts Norwegian interests. The White Paper was submitted to the Storting in June 2019. By that time, Russia had already annexed Crimea, the U.S., under President Trump, had shown a more negative attitude towards multilateral cooperation, and China’s desire to influence multilateral cooperation was evident. At the same time, the report preceded the Covid-19 pandemic and the subsequent criticism from low- and middle-income countries of how Western nations handled the pandemic, as these countries did not have the same access to vaccines. And, not least: the report came before Russia’s 2022 attack on Ukraine, Hamas’ attack on Israel, and the ensuing war in Gaza. Although the rivalry between the U.S. and China was already increasing in 2019, five years later, it has a more defining character for international politics. The developments in recent years show even more clearly than before that the norm that international problems are best solved through multilateral cooperation has weakened. The Multilateral Report pointed to several causes for this, primarily increased rivalry and the preference of major powers for bilateral solutions, and how, for example, China has succeeded in influencing the interpretation of human rights in multilateral forums. In this report, we discuss how the analysis and conclusions of the White Paper hold up five years later. The short version is that they hold up well: the analysis of increased rivalry and the growing 'bilateralization' of international cooperation has proven to align more with the reality than one might wish. At the same time, we paint a somewhat more complex picture than what was described in the Multilateral Report, focusing on fragmentation and the emergence of a significant ecosystem of informal governance initiatives that supplement but also alter the nature of the multilateral system. We also discuss in some detail the importance of analyzing how the various functions of the multilateral system are affected by rivalry, bilateralization, and fragmentation. Such a discussion is relevant in order to assess which multilateral functions are most important for safeguarding Norwegian interests. For example, it is not a given that support for a multilateral organization is an effective measure to promote a 'rules-based' order. We conclude with a discussion on how Norway should relate to the fact that our interest in a rules-based order will not be the same if the content of the rules reflects less of the values they do today. The report focuses on changes in the multilateral system and does not analyze specific multilateral organizations. Rather, we use examples from various multilateral organizations to try to illustrate more general trends. For example, we do not have a specific analysis of NATO or the EU as multilateral organizations. Both can be characterized as multilateral since both have three or more members, but the distinctive nature of the EU and NATO reflects less the developments in multilateral organizations more generally.

  • Development policy
  • Foreign policy
  • Governance
  • International organizations
Forside av rapporten
  • Development policy
  • Foreign policy
  • Governance
  • International organizations
Articles
News
Articles
News

PODCAST: Making Gender Great Again?

In this episode of the world stage we discuss the legacy of Colombia’s historic peace agreement.
  • Diplomacy
  • South and Central America
  • Humanitarian issues
  • Conflict
Media
Media
Media

PODCAST: Friendship in international politics

International politics are influenced by states' values and interests. But can states develop friendship? And in what way can these friendships influence international politics?

  • Diplomacy
  • Foreign policy
  • Governance
  • International organizations
  • Diplomacy
  • Foreign policy
  • Governance
  • International organizations
Africa in a changing global order: G20 membership and elusive peace in Somalia and Sudan
Podcast

Africa in a changing global order: G20 membership and elusive peace in Somalia and Sudan

How can we understand the African Union’s evolving position in a changing global order from its role in the G20 and its peace initiatives in Somal...

  • Security policy
  • Globalisation
  • Diplomacy
  • Foreign policy
  • Africa
  • Peace operations
  • Humanitarian issues
  • Conflict
  • Fragile states
  • Migration
  • AU
  • Security policy
  • Globalisation
  • Diplomacy
  • Foreign policy
  • Africa
  • Peace operations
  • Humanitarian issues
  • Conflict
  • Fragile states
  • Migration
  • AU
Articles
News
Articles
News

NUPI hosted the Nordic India Dialogue on August 22-23

Last week NUPI gathered several representatives from academia, government, and industry for a dialogue meeting between India and the Nordic countries in Oslo.
  • International economics
  • Economic growth
  • Trade
  • International investments
  • Globalisation
  • Diplomacy
  • Foreign policy
  • Asia
  • The Arctic
  • The Nordic countries
  • Climate
  • Energy
  • Governance
NID hoved web.jpg
A woman stands in front of a mural depicting a white dove, a symbol of peace.
Research project
2024 - 2025 (Ongoing)

Women, Peace and Security: Status review and study on peace processes in Colombia and South Sudan

By carrying out a status review and study, this project will yield a better understanding of the influence of women in peace processes and Norway's contributions to the Women, Peace and Security ...

  • Development policy
  • Diplomacy
  • Foreign policy
  • Africa
  • South and Central America
  • Conflict
  • Nation-building
  • Insurgencies
  • United Nations
  • Development policy
  • Diplomacy
  • Foreign policy
  • Africa
  • South and Central America
  • Conflict
  • Nation-building
  • Insurgencies
  • United Nations
Verden er farligere, men bryr nordmenn seg?
Podcast

Verden er farligere, men bryr nordmenn seg?

En fersk NUPI-undersøkelse viser at 77 prosent av befolkningen er positive til at Norge skal støtte Ukraina i krigen mot Russland. Men i aldersgru...

  • Foreign policy
  • Foreign policy
Publications
Publications
Book

Franske tilstander - Forstå det moderne Frankrike

(This book is in Norwegian.) Hvorfor vokser stadig høyrepopulismen i Frankrike til nye høyder? Hvorfor streiker franskmenn så ofte? Hvorfor er Frankrike så aktiv på den internasjonale arena? Til tross for at Frankrike er godt kjent for nordmenn flest både som ferieland, matland og kulturell høyborg, har landet lett for å forbli en gåte. Spørsmålene er mange: Hvorfor er tilliten til franske politikere så lav? Hva kan forklare den høye terrortrusselen i landet? Og hvor langt har egentlig likestillingen kommet i Simone de Beauvoirs fødeland? Når det franske samfunnet fremstår som litt fremmed, skyldes det at fransk politikk og samfunnsliv får langt mindre oppmerksomhet i den norske offentligheten enn for eksempel britisk eller amerikansk politikk. Med denne boken ønsker Norges fremste eksperter på Frankrike og franske forhold å bøte på dette. Boken er for deg som har fransk språk, politikk og samfunnsliv som fag, som er frankofil eller som rett og slett ønsker bedre kjennskap til det moderne Frankrike.

  • Terrorism and extremism
  • Economic growth
  • Diplomacy
  • Foreign policy
  • Europe
  • Climate
  • Governance
Franske tilstander_bokomslag[92].jpg
  • Terrorism and extremism
  • Economic growth
  • Diplomacy
  • Foreign policy
  • Europe
  • Climate
  • Governance
Articles
News
Articles
News

NUPI på Arendalsuka: Her finner du oss

NUPI inviterer til egne arrangementer under Arendalsuka. I tillegg skal våre eminente forskere delta i en rekke andre paneler. Få med deg hvor du finner oss i denne saken!
  • Defence
  • Security policy
  • NATO
  • International investments
  • Foreign policy
  • Europe
  • Russia and Eurasia
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • The Nordic countries
  • Conflict
  • Fragile states
  • International organizations
  • The EU
Where does it happen?
De unge i Norge – de som er mellom 18 og 29 år – er ikke helt enige med resten av befolkningen om hvordan norsk utenrikspolitikk bør se ut.
  • Defence
  • Security policy
  • NATO
  • Foreign policy
  • The Nordic countries
  • Conflict
  • Climate
  • International organizations
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