Iceland’s Relations with its Regional Powers: Alignment with the EU-US sanctions
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.
NUPI-uken som gikk – uke 14
Gikk du glipp av et spennende seminar, en viktig artikkel eller andre nyheter fra NUPI?
Regionale reformer i Russland: Public Management
NUPI har gleda av å invitere til seminar som markerer slutten på prosjektet "Local government budgeting reforms in Russia: Implications and Tensions (BUDRUS)”.
Demonstrasjoner og terror i Russland – hvor støtt står makten?
Kronikk: Søndag 26. mars var det i 100 byer i Russland store demonstrasjoner mot korrupsjon og maktmisbruk. Protestene ble utløst av opposisjonsfiguren Aleksej Navalnyj og hans organisasjon Fondet for anti-korrupsjon. Etter angrepet på metroen i St. Petersburg vil ønske om stabilitet sannsynligvis dominere i tiden fremover.
Security in Europe - Polish and Norwegian Perspectives (PISM_NUPI_Bilateral)
Prosjektet, som er et samarbeid mellom PISM og NUPI, tar sikte på å kartlegge polsk og norsk forståelse av de viktigste sikkerhetspolitiske utfordringer i Europa og på det regionale planet....
The bear and the EU-China-US triangle: Transatlantic and Russian influences on EU’s “pivot to Asia”
This article argues that in the case of the EU’s efforts to undertake a “Pivot to Asia”, added explanatory salience can be achieved by recognising firstly the importance of the transatlantic factor and the US’ own rebalance policies. Secondly, based on a model where the USA is regarded as a significant variable in the EU-China relationship, one may more saliently discern the influence of Russia by assessing its impact on the triangular EU-China-US relationship, both directly and indirectly. Addressing these issues in European policymaking, the article will be constituted of two main parts. In the first section, the triangular nature of European foreign policies towards China is introduced, addressing the transatlantic factor in EU-China relations. Based on research on the European policy debates on EU’s Asia policies and the American Pivot to Asia, the section will illustrate the degree to which EU policy initiatives are conceived as playing out on a range from cooperation to competition with the US’ rebalance initiatives. In the second section, the chapter will proceed to investigate a factor that is affecting, although to different degrees, all three corners of the triangular political context in which European China policies are being shaped, namely the effects of recent Russian actions in the Eurasian theatre. The analysis demonstrates how European policymakers struggle to define their place in the EU-China-US triangle. The dynamics of the ongoing Asian power shift highlights the dilemmas for the European continent, as it seeks to balance its relations in a shifting geopolitical landscape.
Jubileumsseminaret på nordområdesenteret
I samband med 10-årsjubileet til Nordområdesenteret (NOS) ved Handelshøgskolen Nord universitet har NUPI og NOS gleda av å invitere til eit halvdagsseminar for å drøfte korleis Noreg kan realisere verdiskapingspotensialet i nordområda.
Blåser Trump nytt liv i romansen mellom ExxonMobil & Rosneft?
Rex Tillerson som utenriksminister kan bety lysere tider for forholdet USA - Russland.