Publikasjoner
Why Terrorism Researchers Should Care about Criminal Responsibility
Criminal responsibility is a basic principle in holding individuals to account for criminal actions. Making exemptions to criminal responsibility when individuals cannot be held responsible for their actions is equally central, and most countries have frameworks allowing for such exemptions for reasons of serious mental health problems. However, despite the recent years’ enormous interests in the possible links between individual ‘mental health’ and involvement in terrorism, the issue of criminal responsibility has apparently so far not been the subject of much interest in the field of terrorism research. This Research Note makes the simple point that criminal responsibility should be of particular interest to terrorism researchers, for two main reasons: the centrality of (political, religious, ideological) motivations for defining a crime as terrorism-related and the sometimes-difficult boundary-setting between such motivations and (psychotic) delusions; and the political nature of terrorism-related crimes.
Russian nuclear energy diplomacy and its implications for energy security in the context of the war in Ukraine
Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, the possibility of reducing Europe’s energy dependence on Russian resources has been hotly debated. The fossil fuel industries received most attention as European Union leaders first introduced gradual sanctions on Russian coal and later on oil and gas, while Russia responded with supply cuts. However, Russia’s role as a major player in the global nuclear power sector has remained largely below the sanctions radar, despite dependencies on Russian nuclear technology, uranium supplies and handling of spent nuclear fuel. Here we analyse the state nuclear company Rosatom and its subsidiaries as tools of Russian energy statecraft. We map the company’s global portfolio, then categorize countries where Russia is active according to the degree and intensity of dependence. We offer a taxonomy of long-term energy dependencies, highlighting specific security risks associated with each of them. We conclude that the war and Russia’s actions in the energy sector will undermine Rosatom’s position in Europe and damage its reputation as a reliable supplier, but its global standing may remain strong.
Journalism in the Grey Zone: Pluralism and Media Capture in Lebanon and Tunisia
Lebanon and Tunisia are two of the freest countries in the Middle East and North Africa, but elites in both countries seek to manipulate media organisations and individual journalists to shore up support for themselves and attack opponents. This book explores the political role of journalism in these hybrid settings where democratic and authoritarian practices coexist – a growing trend all over the world. Through interviews with journalists in different positions and analyses of key events in recent years, Journalism in the Grey Zone explains the tensions that media instrumentalisation creates in the news media and how journalists navigate conflicting pressures from powerholders and a marginalised populace. Despite ‘capture’ of the media by political and economic actors, journalism remains a powerful and occasionally disruptive force.
Assessing the Effectiveness of the Multinational Joint Task Force
The overall assessment is that the MNJTF is, to a degree, effectively attaining its mandate priorities. As a result of the efforts of the MNJTF there is a decline in the number of terrorist attacks and fatalities in the region.
NATO and the Invasion, One Year On
Next year will mark 75 years since NATO was founded in 1949. The Atlantic alliance has faced many challenges over seven decades, but Russia’s war of conquest in Ukraine might be its biggest test yet.
Climate, Peace and Security Fact Sheet: Afghanistan
I et nytt oppdatert faktaark ser forskere fra NUPI and SIPRIs Climate-related Peace and Security Risks (CPSR) prosjekt på sammenhengen mellom klimaforandringer, fred og sikkerhet i Afghanistan. Afghanistan er svært sårbart for effektene av klimaendringer med hyppigere ekstremvær og temperaturøkninger langt over det globale gjennomsnittet. Disse faktorene, kombinert med arven etter fire tiår med krig, en kompleks humanitær nødsituasjon og en økonomisk krise siden Taliban tok over regjeringsmakten i august 2021, har økt sårbarheten til den afghanske befolkningen. •Klimarelaterte ekstremværhendelser og naturfarer truer afghanske levebrød, øker fattigdom og matusikkerhet, og eroderer motstandsdyktigheten til lokalsamfunn, husholdninger og enkeltpersoner. •Klimaendringer og miljøbelastninger bidrar til omfattende intern fordrivelse og endrede migrasjonsmønstre. Fordrivelse og rask urbanisering kan forverrre mat- og levebrødusikkerhet, legge ytterligere press på miljøressurser og øke sårbarheten til marginaliserte grupper, særlig kvinner og jenter. •I et sikkerhetslandskap som fortsatt er preget av tilstedeværelsen av væpnede aktører, kan klimaendringer øke risikoen for lokale konflikter om land- og vannressurser. •Fraværet av et inkluderende styresystem øker konkurransen over lokale naturressurser og konfliktrisikoen for marginaliserte sosiale grupper og kan forverre politisk og økonomisk ulikhet.
Covid-19 and the Russian Regional Response: Blame Diffusion and Attitudes to Pandemic Governance
As was the case with other federal states, Russia’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic was decentralized and devolved responsibility to regional governors. Contrary to the common highly centralized governance in Russia, this approach is thought to have helped insulate the government from criticism. Using local research and analysis based on a national representative survey carried out at the height of the pandemic during the summer of 2021, the article charts the public response to the pandemic across Russia. It examines the regionalization of the response, with an in-depth focus on two of the Russian cities with the highest infection rates but differing responses to the pandemic: St. Petersburg and Petrozavodsk. There are two main findings: at one level, the diffusion of responsibility meant little distinction was made between the different levels of government by the population; at another level, approval of the pandemic measures was tied strongly to trust levels in central and regional government.
Navigating Breakup: Security realities of freezing politics and thawing landscapes in the Arctic
Russlands storoffensiv i Ukraina i februar 2022 påvirket umiddelbart arktisk sikkerhet og samarbeid, både på regionalt og internasjonalt plan. Den arktiske regionen berøres av økte sanksjoner, at vestlige selskaper har trukket seg ut av Russland og at vestlige land har sørget for å ikke lenger være avhengige av russisk energi. Vi har også sett en økning i hybride sikkerhetshendelser. Samtidig fortsetter klimaendringene å forandre Arktis i stadig høyere hastighet. Rapporten «Navigating Breakup: Security realities of freezing politics and thawing landscapes in the Arctic» er skrevet som et innspill til det arktiske rundebordet (Arctic Security Roundtable, ASR) som skal holdes under Munich Security Conference 18. februar 2023. Rapporten forklarer hvordan både gamle og nye faktorer endrer i Arktis og sikkerhetspolitikken i regionen. Kapitlene handler om hvordan klimaendringer påvirker naturen, menneskelig sikkerhet og regionens militæroperasjonelle miljø. Den vurderer også den regionale sikkerhetspolitikken til stormaktene USA, Kina og Russland. Forskerne skriver at de ulike myndighetene må fortsette å vektlegge utfordringene knyttet til Arktis. De må jobbe mot å redusere og håndtere risiko, uavhengig av avsluttede samarbeid med Russland avsluttes andre usikkerhetsmomenter som former politikken.
The EU Trapped in the Venezuelan Labyrinth: Challenges to Finding a Way Out
This report explores how EU Foreign and Security Policy towards the political crisis in Venezuela can be assessed against the backdrop of diverging positions within the EU and as well as between the EU, the United States and other powers. The EU’s Venezuela policy has been anchored in three main pillars: first, supporting dialogue platforms between the government and the opposition; second, sanctioning the Maduro regime to force it to negotiate; and third, providing humanitarian aid helping neighbouring countries’ attend to the massive migratory flow of Venezuelans. Intra-EU contestation was linked to the recognition of opposition leader Guaidó as Venezuela’s interim president in 2019, but has eased since the EU dropped its recognition in 2021. Multipolar competition, and how it plays into patterns of regional fragmentation, has been another significant obstacle to the EU achieving its main foreign policy goal of free, fair and democratic elections. In the future, the EU approach should build on the renewed consensus between member states and focus on mediation, conditional sanctions relief, electoral observation, parliamentary diplomacy, support for regional governance and interregional cooperation.
Kina-politikken i Søreides periode som utenriksminister: kjente spor og nye konfliktlinjer
Perioden med Ine Eriksen Søreide som utenriksminister (2017–2021) gir et spennende vindu inn i utviklingen for norsk Kina-politikk. Etter seks år med frys i de politiske relasjonene mellom Norge og Kina, fikk Søreide en stor oppgave med å normalisere forholdet og navigere det inn i en tid preget av skarpere konflikter. I denne artikkelen søker vi svar på to sentrale spørsmål: Hvordan utviklet Kina-politikken seg i disse årene, og hva forklarer dreiningen mot mer sikkerhets- og verdiorienterte trekk i andre del av ministerperioden? Vi kombinerer teorier og forklaringer som vektlegger institusjonell stabilitet, trinnvis politikkendring og strukturell, internasjonal påvirkning.