EUs globale strategi i ei endra verd
Det har skjedd store endringar i Europa og resten av verda i løpet av det siste året. Korleis påverkar dette EUs globale strategi?
Political change and historical analogies
This article deals with how scholars, policy analysts and activists, striving to make sense of current political change, have turned to history for analogies and ideas for action. While it is encouraging to see the Trump presidency and other instances of upheaval leading to a strengthened interest in history, in academe and public life more generally, there nevertheless is a need to caution against facile appropriations of the historical record and the use of superficial similarity to legitimize political action. I discuss ways of historicizing the present, through some examples of historical analogies applied to the first months of the Trump presidency and other relatively current instances of change. I start with a discussion of historical analogies and concepts, stressing how they can be understood as both first order and second order constructs. Then I discuss the current usage of historical analogies and concepts as both first order and second order constructs, before I conclude.
Iceland’s Relations with its Regional Powers: Alignment with the EU-US sanctions on Russia
The paper examines the Icelandic government’s consideration to withdraw its support for the sanctions against Russia over Ukraine in 2015. The consideration came as a surprise to many since Iceland in the past has habitually aligned itself closely with the United States and the European Union in such matters. The Icelandic fishing industry lobbied hard for the sanctions to be lifted to avoid Russian counter-sanctions on Iceland. After considerable internal debate, the government decided to uphold the sanctions, but settled on a policy of not taking part in EU´s foreign policy declarations about the sanctions. This move is interesting given Iceland’s traditional positioning between two gravitational centres in world politics: the EU and the US. The paper discusses what this case tells us about Icelandic policymakers’ room for maneuvering in the formulation and enactment of its foreign policy, and about Iceland’s foreign policy bonds to the US and the EU.
Ny studie: Ulovlig kapitalflukt fra utviklingsland vokser
Ulovlig kapitalflukt fra utviklingsland øker og tallene er store; kun i 2014 var kapitalflukten estimert til rundt rundt 1 trillion amerikanske dollar, viser ny rapport fra Global Financial Integrity.
Bjørnen og triangelet
Kva formar EU sin politikk overfor Kina? Det har NUPI-forskar Bjørnar Sverdrup-Thygeson sett nærmare på i ny artikkel.
Fighting international terrorism the French way
Under dette seminaret vil seniorforskar ved NUPI, Pernille Rieker presentere eit kapittel i den kommande boka si «French Foreign Policy in a Changing world. Practicing the Grandeur”.
Life on the Frontlines of American Diplomacy
USA og Nord-Korea står på kanten av konflikt. Men kva er eigentleg Nord-Koreas mål? Ønskjer dei ein ny avtale med verdssamfunnet? Vi får besøk av ambassadør Christopher R. Hill, som var ansvarleg for framforhandlinga av den førre atomavtalen med Nord-Korea.