Anniken Elise Erlandsen
Anniken er vitenskapelig assistent på Forskningsgruppen for sikkerhet og forsvar, og jobber blant annet med Konsortiet for terrorismeforskning. Hu...
United Nations Truce Supervision Organization Role, Relevance, Function, and Utility – Lessons for Future Peace Operations
The aim of the study is, firstly, to assess the role, relevance, function, and utility of UNTSO, and secondly, to identify what lessons can be learnt from UNTSO’s model and experience that can help to inform the future of UN peace operations in the context of the UN Secretary-General’s policy brief on a New Agenda for Peace, as well as in the preparations for the Summit of the Future. The effectiveness of peace operations is dependent on the political backing, financial support, and deployment of trained peacekeepers by the UN Member States. While recognising the important roles of the UN missions, the UN Secretariat, host states, and other key stakeholders and contributors, the primary audience for the present study’s findings and recommendations is the UN Security Council and UN Member States. Although the study is primarily focused on UN peace operations, it is suggested that the findings can also be informative for strengthening the role of observers in other organisations, including regional organisations, and can enhance cooperation between different organisations in dealing with peace and security issues. As outlined in Our Common Agenda, an emerging “networked multilateral system” requires enhanced and specialised capabilities, and broader thinking for wider application and cooperation beyond the immediate organisation and structure of current peace operations.
AVLYST: Er europeisk demokrati i tilbakegang?
Dette arrangementet er dessverre avlyst.
Stories we live by: the rise of Historical IR and the move to concepts
I denne artikkelen, starter forfatterne med å sitere Tyrion Lannister fra Game of Thrones på at “There’s nothing more powerful than a good story. Nothing can stop it. No enemy can defeat it”. Med dette utgangspunktet diskuterer de så hvordan tradisjonelle fortellinger om internasjonal politikk fortsetter å prege faget Internasjonal Politikk, lenge etter at de har blitt avkledd og avslørt som myter. I stor grad skyldes dette at fortiden leses med nåtidig blikk, og at vi bruker begreper om fortiden som var ukjente (og ville ha vært uforståelige) i sin samtid. En mulig løsning, presentert i artikkelen, ligger i å ta begrepshistorie på alvor og undersøke hvordan å gå inn i fortidige begreper åpner opp for nye forståelseshorisonter, i fortid, nåtid og fremtid.
The future is just another past
I denne artikkelen bruker Leira og Kessler innsiktene fra begrepshistorie som utgangspunkt for å problematisere enkle fremskrivninger av nåtiden til fremtiden. De starter med å vise hvordan kjernebegreper vi bruker i våre daglige beskrivelser av internasjonal politikk har endret seg betydelig de siste to hundre årene. Basert på dette diskuterer de så hvordan begrepshistorien kan hjelpe oss med å forstå en fremtid der begreper er i ganske rask, om enn gradvis, endring, samt utfordringene som kan vise seg hvis hele begrepsapparatet endres på revolusjonær måte.
Hvordan former våre begreper om verden hvordan vi forstår verden?
Grand Bassa and the 50/50 tax pilot: “A brilliant idea, but…”
This research note examines the implementation of property tax in Liberia. Based on original fieldwork data, the note analyses taxpayers' perceptions of the new tax system in the light of their experiences with public services, development projects and the political system.
Forskning på radikalisering og forebygging: Status og veien videre
Konsortiet for terrorismeforskning inviterer til seminar om forskning på radikalisering og forebygging med Joel Busher og Sarah Marsden.
The Arctic Barometer: Measuring Expert Predictions on the Arctic Region
Making predictions in a highly uncertain environment is always a hazardous enterprise. Confronted with global warming, the future of the Arctic region has been often debated, both in terms of the scope and the speed of expected changes, including the future of resource development, the opening of shipping routes, and the evolution of multilateral fora. These predictions have come from different sources: governments through different policy papers and statements, the media, civil society, and academics, to name but a few. It can be difficult to account for this vast and diverse array of predictions, considering that each actor has interests to promote. We decided to develop a survey asking different actors to make predictions about possible Arctic geopolitical developments. Instead of letting individuals make their own predictions on the topic of their choice, we selected plausible scenarios and prompted respondents to evaluate if these developments were likely or unlikely to happen. Scenarios were developed to be both visible and concrete: we can evaluate if the scenario unfolded or not during a certain time period. For example, we can observe if Russia violated the airspace of another Arctic state, if Greenland reached state sovereignty, or if the U.S. deployed a freedom of navigation operations in the Arctic region. In total, our scenarios covered two dimensions: governance and security. On governance, potential developments around diplomatic initiatives or multilateral cooperation were tested. On security, the possibility of military conflict in the region or of military intrusions were considered. Two main objectives justified this approach. First, we wanted to evaluate if experts were correct in their predictions. Related to this, we were curious to know which type of issues caused incorrect assessments. Second, we repeated the same scenarios in multiple waves: the objective was to analyze if specific geopolitical developments occurring between waves would change predictions, moving the needle on experts’ predictions