COVID-19 and the consequences for international relations

Covid-19 has developed into a global crisis that have made a vast impact on international politics. The pandemic is primarily a health crisis, but also a deep economic crisis, which in turn can lead to a social and political crisis.

Covid-19 raises several questions on international cooperation and how countries are interdependent. The effects of the pandemic will vary between countries and regions, but if the crisis affects the least developed countries, the humanitarian consequences will be significant. The impact of the crisis is uncertain and will depend on how deep and long-lasting the crisis becomes, and how it is managed.

There is a big need for knowledge and understanding of the context and effects, to identify alternative courses of actions.

On this page you will find some of NUPI’s contribution’s about Covid-19. Some are published in our new Covid-19 policy brief series, and others are published as op-eds in various Norwegian and international media outlets.

Many of the policy briefs are written as specific inputs to the MFA’s new “Covid-19 Task Force”, investigating how the Norwegian development policy can be adjusted and adapted. Several briefs originate from our strategic institute programme which is funded by The Research Council of Norway.

Policy briefs and reports

• In the Shadow of the virus: Varieties of power in the Covid-19 crisis in Venezuela, Peder Østebø, 17 December 2020
• Female Peacekeepers and Operational Effectiveness in UN Peace Operations, Kari Osland, Jenny Nortvedt and Maria Gilen Røysamb, 5 June 2020
• COVID-19 in Latin America: Challenges, responses, and consequences, Peder Østebø and Vegard Bye, 22 May 2020
• The Impact of Covid-19 on the Women, Peace and Security Agenda, Kari M. Osland, Maria Gilen Røysamb and Jenny Nortvedt, 7 May 2020
• Covid-19 will change the way the UN conducts peacekeeping operations, Cedric H. de Coning, 6 May 2020
• Handelen med medisinske varer og Covid-19, Arne Melchior, 4 May 2020
• The impact of COVID-19 on the performance of peace operations, Cedric H. de Coning, 27 April 2020
• Covid-19 og globalisering: et fattigdomsperspektiv på turisme og inntektsoverføring fra migranter i Norges hovedsamarbeidsland,  Hildegunn Nordås, 27 April 2020
• China, India and the political economy of medical supplies, Stein Sundstøl Eriksen with contributions from Jens Andvig and Hans Jørgen Gåsemyr, 27 April 2020
• Lessons from the Ebola Crisis in West Africa: Community engagement, crisis communication and countering rumors, Frida Bjørneseth, Morten Bøås, Henriette Erstad, Alessio Iocchi and Kari Osland, 27 April 2020
• COVID-19 and the African Union. Challenges, prospects and side-effects, Cedric de Coning, 3 April 2020

Op-eds, analyses and events

For an extended overview including contributions in Norwegian language, please see Norwegian version of this page

• WEBINAR: Kazakhstan's Reforms during the Pandemic: Progress and Challenges, 15 December 2020
• How Covid-19 affects sustainable energy transitions, Indra Øverland, 20 October 2020   
• WEBINAR: Covid-19 and Norwegian development policy, 8 June 2020
• How is the COVID-19 pandemic affecting the Africa-Europe partnership? NUPI, ACCORD and ECFR event 20 May 2020
• Examining the Longer-Term Effects of COVID-19 on UN Peacekeeping Operations, Cedric de Coning, 13 May 2020
• Samfunnskontrakten mellom stat og borger, Halvard Leira and Nina Græger, 4 May 2020
• Crisis tests China’s relations to Europe, Hans Jørgen Gåsemyr, 30 May 2020
• What previous crises tell us about the likely impact of Covid-19 on the EU, Marianne Riddervold, Akasemi Newsome and Jarle Trondal, April 2020
• Hvordan påvirker pandemien den liberale orden? Minda Holm, 21 April 2020
• Farlig med brudd i forsyningslinjer, Sturla Henriksen and Ulf Sverdrup, 16 April 2020
• Koronaviruset ryster internasjonal politikk, Sverre Lodgaard, 14 April 2020
• COVID-19: The AU must adapt, not wait. It's needed now more than ever, Cedric H. de Coning, 9 April 2020
• Koronapandemien: FN må beskytte sitt personell, Cedric H. de Coning, 9 April 2020 
• As the AU tries to contain COVID-19, the virus constrains the AU, Cedric de Coning, 8 April 2020 
• Hva har Spania lært av finanskrisen? My Rafstedt, 7 April 2020 
• Kinas rolle i det internasjonale samarbeidet, Hans Jørgen Gåsemyr, 7 April 2020
• The Impact of COVID-19 on Peace Operations, Cedric H. de Coning, 2 April 2020 
• Blir koronakrisen dødsstøtet for den liberale verdensorden? Ole Jacob Sending and Iver B. Neumann, 27 March 2020 
• En pandemi kan få store politiske konsekvenser, Ulf Sverdrup, 18 March 2020

Hvor Hender Det?-articles

• Pandemi = økonomisk kollaps, Hildegunn Kyvik Nordås, 28 September 2020
• Verden etter pandemien, Sverre Lodgaard, 24 June 2020 
• Korona og globalisering, Thomas Hylland Eriksen, 4 May 2020 
• Korona og falske nyheiter: Ein infodemi, Bente Kalsnes, 27 April 2020 
• Grenseløs kamp mot korona, Hans Jørgen Gåsemyr, 8 April 2020