Globale Storbritannia i nord
In this project we aim to contribute to the emerging research on the UK’s quest for a new foreign, security and defence policy role at the dusk of the formal Brexit process....
Svein Efjestad
Svein Efjestad graduated from The University of Oslo in 1980 (Political Science, International Law and History). He held a scholarship at the Norw...
Innovative project strengthened Norway's foreign policy in the Security Council
Nye allierte, nye mulighetsrom: Norge og Finland i en endret sikkerhetspolitisk kontekst (NORFIN)
his project will study how Finland and Norway refer and relate to each other as security and defence policy allies, what opportunities they see for learning and exchange of experience going forward, a...
The humanitarian-development nexus: humanitarian principles, practice, and pragmatics
The humanitarian–development nexus is increasingly being cast as the solution to humanitarian concerns, new and protracted crises, and to manage complex war-to-peace transitions. Despite widely endorsed amongst policymakers, this nexus presents some challenges to those implementing it. Humanitarian action and development assistance represent two distinct discursive and institutional segments of the international system that are hard to juxtapose. Humanitarianism’s apolitical and imminent needs-based approaches building on established humanitarian principles are fundamentally different from the more long-term, political, rights-based approaches of development. As they rub shoulders, as intentionally instigated by the nexus, they affect and challenge each other. These challenges are more acute to the humanitarian domain given the constitutive status of the humanitarian principles, which, when challenged, may cause changes to the humanitarian space and a mission-cum-ethics creep. This article explores the formation and effects of the humanitarian–development nexus as rendered both at the top, amongst policymakers, and from the bottom. The latter explores the discursive transition from conflict to reconstruction in Northern Uganda. Humanitarian organisations’ different response to the transition demonstrate more pragmatic approaches to the humanitarian principles and thus how the nexus itself is also formed bottom up and further exacerbates the mission creep.
Charlotte Børing
Charlotte Børing is a Junior Research Fellow in the Research group on Russia, Asia, and International Trade, and specializes in security issues an...
Leaving the UN Security Council: Norway steps down
The Humanitarian-Development Nexus: A Bridge Too Far?
In their basic and caricature forms, development aid and humanitarian assistance highlight important differences that materialize in attitudinal, institutional, and funding obstacles in the implementation of the humanitarian-development nexus. While the nexus is implemented in order to respond to new types of crises characterised by the protracted nature of the conflicts, cooperation across the aisle has proved hard to achieve in practice. However, policymakers and practitioners have different perspectives on the nexus, and depending on the individual practitioners tasked with implementing the nexus, it can still work. To achieve this, boundary work is needed in order to overcome the distinct segments of the nexus’ constituent parts working in silos. To foster such boundary work, actors responsible for implementing the nexus in practice should be given greater autonomy so that the nexus is better sensitised to local actors, contexts and concerns, rather than being driven by headquarters’ policy demands.
Makt og avmakt i FNs sikkerhetsråd: Valgte medlemslands veier til innflytelse
The UN Security Council consists of five permanent and ten elected member states. The latter is elected on a rolling basis, for two years at a time. In 2021-22, Norway has been one of these elected member states. The research literature often refers to how the Security Council's room for action is limited by superpower interests and the power struggle between the five veto countries: the United States, China, Russia, Great Britain and France. Russia's attack on Ukraine illustrated these challenges. In this policy brief, we take a closer look at how elected member states work to exercise influence while sitting on the Security Council.
Cyber security in Norway
As one of the world's most digitized countries, cyber attacks against Norway are something we should be well prepared for. But are we sufficiently secured? This edition of Hvor hender det? answers the questions: - What exactly is a cyber attack? - Does Norway have good cyber security? - What kind of Russian cyber attacks have we seen in Ukraine and Europe? - And why is it so important that Norway protects itself against cyber attacks now?