What is happening in the world right now? In this podcast produced by the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI) we'll take a closer look at events taking place around the globe. Here you will find conversations, seminars and lectures on different international topics. We hope you'll learn something new! For our Norwegian-speaking audience, we also recommend our podcast series Utenrikshospitalet and Hvor hender det? . If you have any feedback or tips, please contact us on post@nupi.no Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In this episode, Professor Deborah Welch Larson joins host Morten Skumsrud Andersen to discuss how the need for recognition and the fear of status loss affect international politics. Drawing on decades of research, Larson starts with the mistrust that defined the Cold War, before examining how powers like China and Russia seek international status through emulation, competition, and social creativity. The episode also explores a paradox of contemporary U.S. politics; whilst President Donald Trump aims to restore American greatness, his policies may undermine the foundations of U.S. international status. We examine the psychology of grievance and humiliation, and ask what it signals when a hegemon begins to retreat from the international order it helped create. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Over the past decade, China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has redrawn physical, economic, and political maps. From ports in the Indian Ocean to railways across Central Asia, the BRI has been described as the most ambitious infrastructure project in modern history. But ambition does not necessarily equate permanence, and scale does not guarantee influence. How far can infrastructure take power and where are its limits? Is the Belt and Road Initiative a durable foundation for global influence, or have we begun to see the edges of its reach? In this episode of The World Stage, Lunting Wu (NUPI) asks Carla Freeman (Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies) and Hidekazu Sakai (Kansai Gaida University) these questions. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In this episode of The World Stage , NUPI Senior Researcher Erik Skare explores the complex history and internal dynamics of Hamas with Jeroen Gunning, Professor at King's College London and a pioneer in the field of critical terrorism studies. Founded in 1987 as the military wing of the Palestinian Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas has grown into a multifaceted movement encompassing political, social, and military dimensions. Gunning details the profound internal tensions between pragmatists and hardliners, the struggle to balance its role as the de facto government in Gaza with its identity as a resistance movement, and how the October 7 attacks have fundamentally reshaped the region’s geopolitical map. The conversation also examines the power balance between the leadership inside Gaza and the external leadership abroad, as well as the implications of the "terrorist" label for Palestinian unity and the future of governance in the region. The episode is part of the follow-up to the NUPI symposium "What Now? Israel, Palestine and a Region in Crisis." The symposium was organized by Frode Saugestad in collaboration with NUPI and supported by Fritt Ord. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
New forms of cooperation are emerging, and countries are increasingly turning to smaller, more flexible alliances to navigate uncertainty. In this new landscape, partnerships between like-minded actors matter more than ever, and the relationship between the European Union and Japan is a key example of this. As global governance continues to evolve, this episode asks: how can the EU and Japan not only adapt to change, but actively shape it? This episode of The World Stage is in collaboration with the podcast Making sense of EU by the Université libre de Bruxelles. In the episode we explore how the EU and Japan are adapting to a more fragmented and unpredictable world. Together with Professor Akiko Fukushima (Tokyo Foundation for Policy Research) and Dr Wrenn Yennie Lindgren (Norwegian Institute of International Affairs), we unpack the evolving balance between multilateralism and so-called “smaller clubs” – from ASEAN to the Quad – and what this means for global governance. We also discuss where the EU and Japan can act together to shape new rules, relying as much on trust and dialogue. This episode is hosted by Alix Bullman (Univerisité libre de Bruxelles). It is also a part of the NUPI-led project “ NAVIGATOR ” which receives funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under the grant agreement ID: 101094394. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In this episode of the NUPI podcast The World Stage, Cedric de Coning (NUPI) sits down with Louise Lieberknecht (formerly GRID-Arendal) who is one of the authors of a new report investigating the environmental dimensions of conflict in the Lake Chad region. The authors have examined how insecurity impacts the environment and how conflict dynamics are shaped by environmental factors. The episode is part of the NUPI led project Managing Climate, Peace and Security Risks from the Borderlands of the Lake Chad (CPS-Lake Chad). The project is funded by the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) through the Cross-border Conflict Evidence, Policy, and Trends (XCEPT) research program. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Is the liberal international order coming to an end, and what follows the era of American hegemony? In this episode of The World Stage , Senior Research Fellow Wrenn Yennie Lindgren (NUPI) sits down with Manjeet Pardesi , Associate Professor of International Relations at Victoria University of Wellington, to explore the shifting foundations of global politics. Drawing on his award-winning book, Divergent Worlds , co-authored with Amitav Acharya, Pardesi introduces the concept of a "multiplex world order" . Unlike traditional hegemonic or multipolar systems, a multiplex order is defined by its complexity, where non-great powers exercise significant agency and order is shaped by both material power and diverse ideas. The discussion delves into how history can provide a roadmap for our uncertain future. Pardesi contrasts the ancient Mediterranean , a paradigmatic case of hegemonic order under Rome, with the ancient Indian Ocean , which flourished as a non-hegemonic, pluralistic trading system. Key highlights of the episode include: The Rise of India: An analysis of India’s grand strategy, its "status anxiety" regarding China, and its quest to recover its historical standing as a global power. Southeast Asia as pluralistic order: Pardesi points to Southeast Asia as an example of a pluralistic regional order today, with no single center. As he states: "The region is a mix of democracies and non-democracies that engage with each other. It is a plural world that seems viable despite having no core". The Power of Small States: How countries like Norway and New Zealand can act as "connector states," spearheading high-quality trade agreements and navigating complex international identities. Variable Geometry: Understanding the "messiness" of modern international relations and why a decentered, pluralistic world might actually be a good thing. Join us for a deep dive into global history and contemporary geopolitics to understand how the world is being reshaped beyond the Western-dominated era. The World Stage is a global politics podcast from the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI). This episode is produced in collaboration with the Norwegian Center for Geopolitics . Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
What are the role of resilience and peacebuilding perspectives and approaches when it comes to preventing violent extremism? How can resilience and peace building help address the root causes of violent extremism? This is the topic for this episode of NUPI's The World Stage, and of a new book edited by this episode's guests; Ako Muto (JICA Ogata Sadako Research Institute for Peace and Development), Rui Saraiva (Miyazaki International University) and Cedric de Coning (NUPI). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Join us for a conversation on European security in a time marked by war, nuclear threats, and growing strategic uncertainty. Against the backdrop of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and rising doubts about US security guarantees, Research Fellow Gine Lund Bolling (NUPI) examines Emmanuel Macron’s recent address on French nuclear policy. The French president’s remarks signal the most significant shift in the country’s nuclear posture in decades. In this episode of The World Stage , we explore what these changes to France’s nuclear strategy entail, and what implications they may have for European security. A central question is what it actually means for France to “build up” its nuclear arsenal: is it about numbers, capabilities, doctrine – or a combination of all three? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
How can we best prevent and manage climate-related insecurity in one of the world's most vulnerable regions? In this episode of the NUPI podcast The World Stage, Research Professor Cedric de Coning (NUPI) takes us into the heart of the Lake Chad region, and into a two-year research project examining how regional strategies are shaping peace and security. The guests in this podcast episode are Professor Freedom Onuoha (University of Nigeria, Nsukka), and Senior Research Fellow Thor Olav Iversen and Senior Research Fellow Andrew E. Yaw Tchie (both NUPI). The episode draws on findings from the project 'Managing Climate, Peace and Security Risks from the Borderlands of the Lake Chad (CPS-Lake Chad)', which investigates the role of the Regional Strategy for Stabilization, Resilience and Recovery (RS-SRR) in addressing climate-related conflict risks. The project is funded by the UK's Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) through the Cross-Border Conflict Evidence Policy and Trends research fund (XCEPT). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In this episode of the World Stage podcast, host Ole Jacob Sending (The Norwegian Centre for Geopolitics, NUPI) sits down with Alex Cooley (Columbia University) and Taylor St. John (NUPI) to discuss the shift toward transnational kleptocracy in US foreign policy. Drawing on a recent Foreign Affairs article, the guests explore how the second Trump administration is dismantling long-standing anti-corruption frameworks, such as restricting the enforcement of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), to facilitate a system where public power is leveraged for private gain. In the podcast, the three participants discuss several examples of transnational kleptocracy. One specific example recently reported in the Wall Street Journal involves US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and the President's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, who have been in active talks with Kirill Dmitriev head of the Russian sovereign wealth fund. The discussions center on using a portion of frozen Russian assets—which were widely expected to be designated for Ukraine's reconstruction—to instead create what Cooley terms "slush funds" for joint American-Russian investment projects. From the role of unofficial, "nebulous" advisors to the potential pressure on allies like Norway to politicize their sovereign wealth funds, this episode provides a deep dive into how international power is being exercised, bought, and shielded in an era of "kleptocratic populism". Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In the EU’s enlargement debate, attention usually centres on Brussels—legal benchmarks, progress reports and diplomatic bargaining. But in countries hoping to join the bloc, politics is often decided via informal power networks, fragile institutions and the everyday effort of navigating uncertainty. In this episode we shift from the top-down to the ground level as Jessica Hendrick speaks with Morten Bøås, research professor at the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI), who is leading RE-ENGAGE’s comparative fieldwork across Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Moldova, Serbia and Ukraine. Together, they take listeners behind the scenes of how the project gathers original data in places shaped by war, protest and political pressure. Methods range from training local university students to conduct trust surveys to vignette experiments that test how citizens respond to crises and competing external “relief packages” from China, the EU, Russia and Turkey. What do early findings reveal? What does “trust” really look like in a hybrid regime? How can the EU design programmes that people actually feel, rather than reforms they never see? And what should Brussels learn about democracy promotion to avoid repeating past mistakes? This is the third episode from the RE-ENGAGE podcast series The Neighbourhood , which unpacks how countries hoping to join the EU navigate political change and outside pressure, and what that means for Europe’s democracy and security. The podcast series is produced by ECFR, and co-published by ECFR and NUPI. The RE-ENGAGE project is led by NUPI, and is funded by the European Union's Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 101132314. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
How are enlargement reforms unfolding on the ground and what drives progress or stagnation? The 2025 Enlargement Package presents a mixed picture: Ukraine and Moldova are racing ahead, while Serbia and Georgia are lagging. The EU itself is struggling with internal divisions and reform fatigue. This episode of The World Stage is part of The Neighbourhood series from the NUPI-led project Re-engage , produced by ECFR and co-published by ECFR and NUPI. In this episode, ECFR's Jessica Hendrick is joined by Tiago Antunes , senior policy fellow with ECFR’s European Power programme, Leo Litra , visiting fellow at ECFR and senior fellow at Kyiv’s New Europe Center and Engjellushe Morina , senior policy fellow with ECFR’s European Security programme. Together, they discuss what this year’s enlargement report says about political will, institutional resilience and the everyday impact of enlargement. How can the EU make conditionality more credible? Are EU reforms changing behaviour in governments, institutions and people’s lives? And how can Brussels keep the reform energy alive? This episode was recorded on November 12th 2025. iIt's the second episode from the RE-ENGAGE podcast series The Neighbourhood , which unpacks how countries hoping to join the EU navigate political change and outside pressure, and what that means for Europe’s democracy and security. The podcast series is produced by ECFR, and co-published by ECFR and NUPI. The RE-ENGAGE project is led by NUPI, and is funded by the European Union's Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 101132314. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The international system faces its gravest crisis in decades. As global democracy retreats, authoritarian regimes actively challenge established international rules and norms. This episode asks: Which institutions are worth saving in this " burning house " of cooperation? We analyse the paralysis of the UN Security Council and NATO's struggle against illiberal pressures as the world order begins to fragment. You will hear from Roland Paris, Alexandra Gheciu (both University of Ottawa) and NUPI's Ole Jacob Sending. The host for this episode is Marie Furhovden (NUPI). This episode is part of the NUPI led project NAVIGATOR that is investigating how the EU should navigate multilateral cooperation. The project receives funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under the Grant agreement ID: 101094394. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
EU enlargement is back at the top of the EU’s political agenda as Russia’s war against Ukraine has transformed it from a bureaucratic process into a matter of European security. In this episode, Mark Leonard speaks with Lykke Friis , co-chair of ECFR’s council, director of the Danish think-tank Europa, and former Danish minister, as European leaders gather for the European Political Community summit in Copenhagen. Together they discuss why Denmark has shifted to advocating for enlargement and why Europe’s future security may depend on bringing Ukraine and Moldova closer. Is the EU ready for a new wave of member countries? Can enlargement be both geopolitical and merit-based? And what role will Denmark play in defining the EU’s next chapter? Bookshelf : Strength in members: How to rally EU enlargement for defence by Gustav Gressel, Nicu Popescu New report on EU enlargement and integration by Piotr Buras with Lykke Friis, Engjellushe Morina and Iben Schacke Deutschland 1946: Das Wunder beginnt by Rüdiger Barth, Hauke Friederichs Indignity: A Life Reimagined by Lea Ypi This episode was recorded on October 2nd, 2025. The episode marks the launch of ECFR’s new RE-ENGAGE podcast series: The Neighbourhood , which will unpack how countries hoping to join the EU navigate political change and outside pressure, and what that means for Europe’s democracy and security. The podcast series is produced by ECFR, and co-published by ECFR and NUPI. The RE-ENGAGE project is les by NUPI, and is funded by the European Union's Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 101132314. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
With the growing sense of perpetual and compounding global crises and war, it is not only policy makers that are scrambling to respond. The discipline of International Relations has also been thrown into upheaval and reconsidering and revising its theoretical apparatus. This episode of the World Stage takes a step back and discusses the role of constructivism for Illuminating the current moment with two of its leading theoreticians: Stefano Guzzini and Nicholas Onuf. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
How does the new Norwegian High North strategy situate Norway and its northernmost countries in Arctic and global politics? What are the new priorities and signals in the strategy? And how will they be realized in practice in Norwegian foreign policy? In this episode of the NUPI podcast The World Stage, NUPI researcher Elana Wilson Rowe sits down with State Secretary (MFA) Maria Varteressian, and NUPI colleague Karsten Friis to discuss the new High North strategy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
International cooperation and the rules-based order as we know it is now at stake. The inauguration of Donald Trump in his second presidential term, Russia’s brutal war on Ukraine, and great power rivalry are just some of the factors that have had an influence on how countries can work together. In addition, several multilateral organisations are being criticised for a lack of efficiency in solving issues. In the midst of this, the EU and other institutions are working to maintain international cooperation on one hand and adjusting to the new reality on the other. In a time where uncertainty reigns, we must ask ourselves: Is the era of cooperation coming to an end? In this episode we look at the state of international cooperation both between countries and in different institutions and organisations. We also visit Johannesburg to investigate what international cooperation looks like from a South African point of view. Contributors to this episode are Amina Dossa and Buhle Kokela (students at WITS University), Sithembile Mbete (Executive Director, PARI), Malte Brosig (Professor, WITS University) and John Karlsrud (Research Professor, NUPI). Host for this episode is Marie Furhovden (NUPI). The podcast episode is part of the NAVIGATOR project, funded by the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under the Call HORIZON-CL2-2021-DEMOCRACY-01 – Grant agreement n°101061621. Visit the project webpage to learn more at www.eunav.eu Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Come Back Alive and other volunteer organisations is an underappreciated, but important factor in Ukraine's fight against Russia. They are a vital part of Ukraine’s resilience as the war enters its fourth year. Come Back Alive enjoys high trust, legitimacy and cooperates closely with the brigades in the field and the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense. Volunteer organisations show how popular mobilisation works in practice when the whole society wants to contribute to the war effort. As such, they also have important lessons for the Norwegian total defence concept. In this podcast episode we explore the role Come Back Alive and similar organisations are playing, how Norway and other states can increase their support, and what lessons they can hold for the Norwegian total defence concept. In the studio are Kate Leschyshyn from Come Back Alive, and NUPI researchers Øyvind Svendsen and John Karlsrud. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The American security guarantee to Europe appears to be less iron clad than it used to be. The Trump administration seeks to shift military assets from Europe to the Asia-Pacific and expect Europe to spend 5% of its GDP on defence. How dramatic are these changes? How will it happen? And will it make Europe more exposed and vulnerable to potential Russian aggression? In this episode Karsten Friis discusses these and other relevant questions, including the newly published British Strategic Defence Review, with Max Bergmann from CSIS and Neil Melvin from RUSI. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Is the UN’s peacekeeping mission in Mali, and in larger sense UN Peacekeeping, a canary in the coal mine for international cooperation? What can it tell us about geopolitical tensions and cooperation among key powers? And what does the future hold for Mali and the Sahel? In this episode of the NUPI podcast The World Stage, Research Professor at NUPI John Karlsrud sits down with Arthur Boutellis to discuss the UN Peacekeeping mission in Mali, and Boutellis’ new book titled The UN Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA): Caught in the Geopolitical Crossfire . Arthur Boutellis is a non-resident Senior Adviser at the International Peace Institute (IPI) and Adjunct Professor at Columbia University and Sciences Po. He has worked in Mali with the UN, supported policymakers in New York with research as the head of the Brian Urqhart Centre for Peace Operations at the International Peace Institute. John Karlsrud is a Research Professor and Head of the Research group on peace, conflict and development at NUPI. He has extensive experience as a researcher in the field of peacekeeping, peacebuilding and humanitarian issues. He previously served as Special Assistant to the United Nations Special Representative in Chad and as part of the UNDP’s leadership programme LEAD . Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
