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Researcher

Morten Skumsrud Andersen

Senior Research Fellow, Head of the Research Group on Global Order and Diplomacy
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msa@nupi.no
+(47) 452 45 542
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Summary

Morten S. Andersen is a Senior Research Fellow and Head of the Research group on Global order and Diplomacy. In addition to a focus on theoretical and methodological aspects of International Relations, his research concerns how relations of power and dominance between states have evolved and been legitimated over time. In this, he focuses particularly on hierarchy and empires and on international conceptual history.

Andersen is currently taking part in the project A Conceptual History of International Relations (CHOIR). He is also applying these research topics to an analysis of Colombian foreign policy and global order for the projects Undermining Hegemony and Evaluating Power Political Repertoires (EPOS), and to foreign acquisitions and investments for the project Consequences of Investments for National Security (COINS).

In 2016, Andersen earned his PhD in International Relations from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). The dissertation is entitled “A Genealogy of the Balance of Power” and is a history of how this concept starts off as a way of preserving a supposed European commonwealth, but then becomes a notion that makes possible the denial of the existence of any such thing as “international society” in favour of a state-centric vision of international affairs. He here shows how that confusing origin and subsequent history defines the parameters of contemporary debates about “the balance of power” in International Relations.

Expertise

  • International investments
  • Diplomacy
  • Foreign policy
  • Governance
  • Historical IR

Education

2016 PhD, The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). Title of PhD thesis: A genealogy of the balance of power.

2008 MSc International Relations; London School of Economics

2006 Bachelor in international politics, University of Oslo/Universidad Externado de Colombia

2003 Latin American studies, Universidad de Costa Rica

Work Experience

2022- Head of the Research Group on Global Order and Diplomacy, NUPI

2008- Research fellow/Doctotal Research Fellow/Senior Research Fellow, NUPI

Aktivitet

Publications
Publications
Scientific article

Semi-cores in imperial relations: The cases of Scotland and Norway

Recently, the field of International Relations has seen increased interest in international hierarchy, and also an upswing in the analytical study of imperial logics of rule. Nonetheless, existing structural models of empire focus on core-periphery dynamics, and so cannot explain polities that display elements of both core and periphery. Therefore, I offer the new concept of ‘semi-cores’. Semi-cores are a specific form of historical political associations whereby certain imperial provinces are different from the others in terms of the close relationships it maintains with the imperial metropolis. Semi-cores are different by virtue of being relatively similar. The conceptualisation of semi-cores is followed by a section illustrating its logic, examining the relatively unfamiliar cases of Scotland and Norway and their position within the Danish and British empires, respectively. Although being separate imperial provinces, these were tightly connected to an imperial core. This concept helps us better understand imperial logics, and in the process shows how cultural factors can be formalised into accounts of structural logics of rule, impacting our understanding of both historical and contemporary hierarchical international affairs.

  • Diplomacy
  • Foreign policy
  • Europe
  • Historical IR
  • Diplomacy
  • Foreign policy
  • Europe
  • Historical IR
Research Project
2015 - 2018 (Completed)

Undermining Hegemony. The US, China, Russia, and International Public Goods

Developments in the last fifteen years have driven renewed interest in hegemonic-stability and power-transition theory. The persistence of US-centered primacy during the 1990s produced new arguments f...

  • Diplomacy
  • Foreign policy
  • Russia and Eurasia
  • Asia
  • North America
  • South and Central America
  • Governance
  • International organizations
  • Diplomacy
  • Foreign policy
  • Russia and Eurasia
  • Asia
  • North America
  • South and Central America
  • Governance
  • International organizations
Publications
Publications
Chapter

How to Study NGOs in Practice. A Relational Primer

  • Diplomacy
  • International organizations
  • Diplomacy
  • International organizations
Publications
Publications
Scientific article

The Danish empire and Norway's place therein

  • Europe
  • Governance
  • Europe
  • Governance
Publications
Publications
Scientific article

Hva var Norge i det danske imperiet? Skottland og Norge som semi-sentra

Denne artikkelen handler om Skottlands og Norges roller som politiske enheter i henholdsvis det britiske og danske imperiet. I artikkelens første del er argumentet at «semi-sentrum» er en nyttig ny analysekategori for å forstå de strukturelle posisjonene en politisk enhet kan inneha i et imperialt system. Eksisterende strukturelle imperiemodeller fokuserer på relasjoner mellom et imperiesentrum og periferier. Disse modellene har problemer med å forklare politiske enheter som innehar kjennetegn ved begge – både sentrum og periferi. Det nye begrepet semi-sentrum kan forklare imperiedynamikker på en bedre måte, empirisk illustrert i artikkelens andre del som undersøker Skottlands og Norges roller innen sine respektive imperier. Spesielt relevant for dette spesialnummeret er hvordan man ved å se Norges rolle som semi-sentrum kan kaste nytt lys på embedsmennenes sentrale rolle i det nye Norge etter 1814, samt hvordan sammenligningen med Skottland utvider det komparative universet for den nye norske statsdannelsen i etterkant av en imperieoppløsning.

  • Foreign policy
  • Europe
  • Foreign policy
  • Europe
Publications
Publications
Scientific article

Norge og verden utenfor

  • Foreign policy
  • Foreign policy
Publications
Publications
Publications
Scientific article

Teknologiseringen av humanitært arbeid

  • Humanitarian issues
  • Humanitarian issues
Publications
Publications
Scientific article

De viktigste blant oss

Publications
Publications
Scientific article

Leder

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