Frenemies: Arctic cooperation in conflict and a view from Russia
Lecture to congressional fellows participating in the Wilson Foreign Policy Fellowship Program (Wilson Center, DC)
Reviewing Jihadist Governance in the Sahel
The ways in which jihadist insurgents in the Sahel govern is rarely considered in the academic literature. They have often been portrayed as ‘Islamic terrorists’, who achieve their objectives by using brutal force against the civilian population and who finance their activities through criminal networks and activities. However, scattered empirical evidence reveals a different picture. Jihadist insurgents, like other insurgent groups, often use a variety of strategies to rule territory and populations. The scale, character and form of how such groups govern differs not only between countries but also at the sub-national level within the same group. Nevertheless, until recently jihadist insurgent governance in Africa and particularly the Sahel region has largely been overlooked. This synthesis reviews the existing literature on jihadist governance in West Africa, with a particular emphasis on the understudied region of the Sahel. The review is organised as follows: first, we clarify key concepts and provide definitions. Second, we provide a brief overview of Islam and politics in the Sahel, contextualising the rise of Salafist-jihadism as well as historical cases of jihadist governance. Third, we provide a brief overview of the literature and synthesise the existing research on jihadist insurgent governance in the Sahel. Fourth, we examine some key cases of jihadist governance in northern Mali, Nigeria and the Liptako-Gourma region straddling Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger. Finally, we conclude by summarising our findings, discussing the implications for the study of civil war and insurgency and consider avenues for future research.
Hvem eier i Norge?
We have checked how good the overview of foreign ownership in Norway is. We found some shortages.
Why do firms import via merchants in entrepôt countries rather than directly from the source?
An increasing share of world trade happens indirectly via merchants in third countries, so-called entrepôts. This article uses an exhaustive and highly disaggregated dataset for Norwegian firms’ import transactions to study the motives for importing through such merchants rather than directly from the source country. I first show that transactions via entrepôts are much smaller than transactions from the source. I then study which factors are associated with the probability of importing indirectly. Source country characteristics – especially high trade barriers and unfavourable geographical locations – are important when time-invariant unobserved heterogeneity is not controlled for. When controlling for this, however, firm- and product-level characteristics stand out as the main drivers. Smaller and less productive firms more often import via entrepôts, especially when importing product-source combinations that are relatively unimportant in their total imports and when importing products with low price dispersion and high value-to-weight ratios. The results are in line with theories suggesting that merchants facilitate trade by offering reduced fixed trade costs for firms that trade through them. As such, they may help smaller and less productive firms to import.
Utenlandsk eierskap i eiendom i Norge: informasjonskilder og mulige oversikter
The report reviews central sources to information about foreign ownership in real estate in Norway. It describes possible steps for improving the overview of such ownership interests.
Veier til informasjon om utenlandsk eierskap i Norge: kilder og metoder
The report reviews central sources to information about foreign ownership in Norway, mainly ownership control and ownership shares in enterprises. The report also provides assessments of some international sources and information tools, and discusses possible steps for improving the overview of ownership interests in Norway.
The impact of climate change on Africa’s peace and security
The gradual rise in global temperatures, irregular rainfall and floods have indirect, complex and coherent implications for peace and security. On March 9 2021, the African Union (AU) Peace and Security Council met at state level to discuss these challenges. The Peace and Security Council presented various recommendations concerning climate and security. This op-ed is based on the communique published after the meeting and presents opportunities for how the African Union, together with regional economic communities/regional mechanisms, member states and others, can work together to strengthen efforts surrounding climate and security challenges.
The Impact of Climate Change on Peace and Security in Somalia: Implications for AMISOM
The February 2021 mandate renewal for the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) is an opportunity to review what we know about climate change and security in Somalia, and to consider what governments and multilateral organisations can do to improve the way they manage climate related security risks. Research finds no direct causal relationship between climate and conflict but has identified multiple pathways through which climate-related change interacts with political, social, and environmental stresses to compound existing vulnerabilities and tensions. These factors combined can undermine development gains, impact the dynamics of ongoing violence and disrupt fragile peace processes. Additional pressures, such as COVID-19, compound the risk and makes a country like Somalia even more vulnerable to shocks and setbacks, as the recent political crisis shows.
Informal taxation and community-driven development: Evidence from south-central Somalia
We are excited to announce that this semester’s fourth seminar in our Tax for Development Webinar Series with Vanessa van den Boogaard and Fabrizio Santoro (both at the International Centre for Tax and Development) presenting the study "informal Taxation and community-driven development: Evidence from south-central Somalia".
How states manage international censure: Norway's response to criticism of its Child Welfare Services
When states are criticised, they normally recognise, reject or counter the critique. Yet they could listen to and contain criticism without directly rejecting or recognising it. Using criticism of Norway’s Child Welfare Services as an example, Kristin Haugevik and Cecilie Basberg Neumann show that diplomatic containment can prevent conflict accelerating and then damaging bilateral relations