Matthew Blackburn
Matthew Blackburn is a Senior Researcher in NUPI's Research Group on Russia, Asia and International Trade. He is also an affiliated researcher at...
Ingvild Brox Brodtkorb
Ingvild is a Junior Research Fellow at NUPI and works on Africa-Nordic Cooperation, Climate, Peace and Security, peacebuilding, peace operations a...
Public resistance in Russia: Mobilizational opportunities and the effect of protest on public attitudes
Ever since the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 the level of resistance against the Putin regime and the general protest potential in Russian society have been in the limelight. The decade preceding the invasion had witnessed the highest number of mass protests in modern Russian history. This Policy Brief explores one of the most successful of these regional protest movements, the Shiyes movement. How was the movement able to grow, sustain itself, and diffuse under Putin’s authoritarian regime? And what can this tell us about the protest potential in today’s Russia?
Asia-Arctic Diplomacy a Decade Later: What has changed?
Ten years ago, five Asian states – China, India, Japan, Singapore, and South Korea – joined the Arctic Council as observers. This article discusses how the Asia-Arctic Five’s policies policies and priorities have evolved over the past decade and what their hopes are for the incoming Norwegian chairmanship of the Council.
Taking stock of Norway's work on climate, peace and security in the UNSC (2021-2022)
Norway served as an elected member of the UN Security Council from 2021 – 2022. Norway identified four priority areas during its period on the Council, including Climate Security. This seminar will take stock of what Norway has achieved in this area and on the lessons that can be learned from this experience for others that will be working on this agenda in future.
“Whenever you bribe a journalist, you provoke another”
Solving Europe’s Defense Dilemma: Overcoming the Challenges to European Defense Cooperation
Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine has led to a transformational moment for European defense. However, Europe has a dilemma: it is spending more on defense but cooperating less—all despite three decades of political initiatives designed to improve European defense cooperation.
Safeguarding the rule of law and democracy in Europe using financial means
The rule of law and democracy in Europe are under threat. What can the EU and Norway do?
Russian nuclear energy diplomacy and its implications for energy security in the context of the war in Ukraine
Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, the possibility of reducing Europe’s energy dependence on Russian resources has been hotly debated. The fossil fuel industries received most attention as European Union leaders first introduced gradual sanctions on Russian coal and later on oil and gas, while Russia responded with supply cuts. However, Russia’s role as a major player in the global nuclear power sector has remained largely below the sanctions radar, despite dependencies on Russian nuclear technology, uranium supplies and handling of spent nuclear fuel. Here we analyse the state nuclear company Rosatom and its subsidiaries as tools of Russian energy statecraft. We map the company’s global portfolio, then categorize countries where Russia is active according to the degree and intensity of dependence. We offer a taxonomy of long-term energy dependencies, highlighting specific security risks associated with each of them. We conclude that the war and Russia’s actions in the energy sector will undermine Rosatom’s position in Europe and damage its reputation as a reliable supplier, but its global standing may remain strong.