The unsolicited rocket: a story of science, technology, and future wars
This article investigates the puzzling case of the unsolicited rocket: a Norwegian research establishment successfully developed a weapon system that no one wanted or had asked for that was later widely adopted. We argue that the ‘Terne’ weapon existed not because it was needed based on rational calculations about efficiency, but because of the narratives, coalitions, and competitive dynamics that surrounded it and made it useful. Conventionally, war and technology are often considered distinct ‘things’ with immutable essences, used as variables to explain other phenomena, rather than being examined on their own terms. In this case, we focus empirically on the configuration of sociotechnical imaginaries, and the capacities for action that arise out of it. In foregrounding sociotechnical systems, this is not a case of the ‘militarization’ of civilian society and research in peacetime. Rather, agency lay in competitive networks of narratives and coalitions between technologies, individuals, professions, technological communities, military organizations, and funding bodies, together shaping how ideas and technologies become authoritative and dominant.
NUPI seminar about NATO and nordic security
Private infrastructure in weaponized interdependence
The ability of states to exploit private resources at an international level is an increasingly salient political issue. In explaining the mechanisms of this shift, the framework of Weaponized Interdependence has quickly risen to prominence, arguing that those states that are centrally placed in global networks can exploit their centrality given the appropriate domestic institutions. Building on this framework, I suggest that the relationship between states and the private corporations holding the resources states seek to exploit is more dynamic and contested than assumed. Drawing on developments in the industry for constructing and operating submarine cables, I find that a paradigm shift in the market has significantly limited the authority of states vis-à-vis key market players. The contribution of this finding is to expand Weaponized Interdependence as a framework, paying closer attention to the relationship between private companies and states. This expansion allows for the utilization of Weaponized Interdependence as a framework for a broader set of cases, explaining not only when a network is prone to weaponization but also the limitations states face when they seek to do so.
Her skal Norden forsvares
Interview about key strategic locations for defence of the Nordics.
Luftmaktseminar
Seminar on air power at the Swedish Defence University, organized by The Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences.
Debatten: Hva betyr en NATO-utvidelse?
(This programme is in Norwegian): Per Erik Solli on what Swedish and Finnish NATO membership will entail.
NATO’s northern flank would be more robust if Sweden and Finland join, expert says
Interview in Barents Observer with Per Erik Solli about a possible NATO membership for Finland and Sweden.
Finland and Sweden’s Path Towards NATO
The failure of deterrence and the outbreak of war in Ukraine should be a wakeup call to the Nordic governments to create a more robust and coherent deterrence and defence posture across the region. To ensure security and stability, all the states on Russia’s northwest flank must further advance the regional agenda from intertwined tactical and operational defence cooperation towards more a compelling deterrence strategy, write Per Erik Solli and Øystein Solvang.
Craig Moffat
Craig Moffat was a Senior Research Fellow in the Research group on peace, conflict and development.