Mutual Lack of Introspection and the ‘Russia Factor’ in the Liberal West
Minda Holm makes three claims in this article: one about the representation of Russia as an external enemy and the reflex to blame Russia for unwanted domestic developments; one about the liberal Western Self’s continuous violation of the principles it judges others by; and one about the seemingly deliberate lack of critical introspection amongst Russian and Western elites. The Western Self is largely viewed as liberal by default, irrespective of the extensive illiberal actions – seen in, for example, the post-9/11 era. Whereas politics is messy and full of contradictions, Western liberal morality is often presented as somehow standing monolithically above those contradictory actions: despite torture, a secret extraordinary rendition and detention program and wide-ranging breaches of international law, the US Self under Bush Jr. remained decidedly ‘good’. Whilst the Self’s identity as liberal persists despite violating those liberal principles, states such as Russia are stigmatized for the same types of violations. That this creates frustration with those defined as standing on the outside or, better, denied access to the true inside, should not come as a surprise. But, Russia’s continuous denialism and whataboutism, and the role of academics in this negative cycle, doesn’t bode well for the future of Russia-West relations.
Mørke skyer over Mali
Massakren i Mali i mars representerer bare det foreløpige bunnpunktet i en pågående voldsspiral mellom ulike etniske grupper, skriver NUPI-forskerne Natasja Rupesinghe og Morten Bøås i denne kronikken fra Klassekampen.
Museums, memory and meaning-creation: (re)constructing the Tajik nation
To overcome the traumas of the 1992–1997 civil war, the Tajik authorities have turned to history to anchor their post‐independence nation‐building project. This article explores the role of the National Museum of Tajikistan, examining how the museum discursively contributes to ‘nationalising’ history and cultural heritage for the benefit of the current Tajik nation‐building project. Three main discursive strategies for such (re)construction of Tajik national identity are identified: (1) the representation of the Tajiks as a transhistorical community; (2) implicit claims of the site‐specificity of the historical events depicted in the museum, by representing these as having taken place within the territory of present‐day Tajikistan, thereby linking the nation to this territory; and (3) meaning‐creation, endowing museum objects with meanings that fit into and reinforce the grand narrative promulgated by the museum. We conclude that the National Museum of Tajikistan demonstrates a rich and promising, although so far largely unexplored, repertoire of representing Tajik nationness as reflected in historical artefacts and objects of culture: the museum is indeed an active participant in shaping discursive strategies for (re)constructing the nation.
Improving Future Ocean Governance – Governance of Global Goods in an Age of Global Shifts
Japan’s G20 presidency in 2019 will take the lead in promoting environmentally sustainable economic growth and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). As a gathering of coastal states, under Japan’s presidency the G20 will specifically work to reduce marine plastic pollution and support marine biodiversity. This policy paper highlights how oceans are governed spaces and points to the key role of the oceans in realizing the SDGs. We argue that the G20 can and should play an important role in addressing major governance gaps in ensuring the sustainable management of oceans. Recognizing that there are increased geopolitical tensions, and that we do indeed already have comprehensive multi-level governance systems in place to handle many aspects of the growing ‘blue economy’ and avoiding the tragedy of the commons, the G20 should primarily stress the need for full and effective implementation of existing instruments and measures at the national, regional and global levels and increased consistency across levels of governance. This would effectively address many of the challenges and make use of the opportunities of the oceans. However, the rapidly moving horizon of technological development and insufficient progress in mitigating global climate change represent new governance challenges that require renewed effort and innovative thinking for a sustainable future for the oceans. This policy paper provides recommendations as to how G20 states can: consolidate their own capacity and assist non-G20 states in taking responsibility for strengthening marine science and implementation of existing regulatory frameworks, exercise innovative global and regional leadership to address emerging opportunities and associated governance challenges and facilitate the meaningful involvement of the private sector and the public in ensuring a collective governance order around oceans.
Lanseringsfrukost: Kva driv internasjonal utviklingshjelp?
Kva er dei grunnleggjande politiske drivarane som bestemmer utforminga og nivået på internasjonal utviklingshjelp? Korleis har dette materialisert seg for OECD-landa frå 60-talet og fram til i dag? Kva trendar kan vi finne for motivasjon, mål og retningslinjer innan utviklingshjelpa?
Noreg og New Zealand - felles utfordringar, felles løysingar?
15. mars i år ramma tragedien New Zealand, då 50 personar blei drepne under masseskyting i Christchurch. Likskapane med terrorangrepa i Oslo 22. juli 2011 var påfallande. Måten New Zealand har takla angrepet på, har også mange likskapar med korleis vi her heime slo ring om felleskapsverdiar. New Zealand og Noreg deler mykje i synet på verda, både når det gjeld verdiar og utanrikspolitiske føresetnader. Korleis kan vi samarbeide, sjølv om vi er på kvar vår side av kloden? Det skal visestatsministeren og utanriksministeren i landet , Winston Peters, snakke om når han gjestar NUPI
Lærdom fra historien - og en titt inn i glasskulen - på NATOs 70-årsdag
Les brennaktuelt spesialnummer av Internasjonal Politikk gratis på nett.
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Marianne Riddervold
Marianne Riddervold er forsker I (bistilling) i Forskningsgruppen for sikkerhet og forsvar hos NUPI. I tillegg er hun professor i statsvitenskap o...
15 NUPI-forskere på firedagers maraton i internasjonal politikk
NUPI-forskere spilte en viktig rolle da verdens største konferanse for forskere innen internasjonale studier – ISA 2019 - gikk av stabelen i Canada.