Moscow Seeks to Regain Initiative in the Game of Peace Talks

Posted by & filed under Peacebuilding, Security, Ukraine War

Jubilation in Moscow after the phone conversation between Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump on February 12 has given way to contemplations of the consequences and even to confusion caused by the barrage of statements from officials throughout the week (Kremlin.ru, February 12).

Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud (4th L), Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov (R) , Russian President Vladimir Putin’s Foreign Policy Advisor Yuri Ushakov (2nd R), US Secretary of State Marco Antonio Rubio (2nd L), US National Security Adviser Mike Waltz (3rd L) and US Special Envoy for the Middle East Steve Witkoff (L) attend a meeting between Russia and the US, aimed at mending relations between the two nations and addressing the conflict in Ukraine, on February 18, 2025 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Photo: Russian Foreign Ministry /Anadolu via Getty Images

During the conversation, Putin conveyed that “it was time for both countries to work together” (Ibid).Read More

How Colombia’s Disarmament Process Transformed Weapons Into Symbols of Peace

Posted by & filed under Culture and Conflict, Peacebuilding

In 2016, the Colombian government and the guerrilla group FARC-EP ended their five decade-long war. As part of the peace agreement, FARC-EP’s weapons had to be collected, a process known as disarmament. By 2017, UN observers had received and removed over 8,112 guns, 1.3 million rounds of ammunition, 22 tons of explosives, 3,000 grenades and 1,000 landmines.

Doris Salcedo “Fragmentos” where the symbolic floor of the space is made with the molten metal of the weapons of the extinct FARC in 2021 in Bogota, Colombia. (Photo by Kaveh Kazemi/Getty Images)

While impressive, not all weapons were surrendered, and getting new guns is still relatively straightforward in Colombia. So what difference did the disarmament make? My colleague Nicholas Marsh and I researched the symbolic power of weapons – rifles in particular – to reveal how, despite incomplete weapons collection, disarmament in Colombia still contributes to peacebuilding, and sets an example for the rest of the world.Read More

Trump’s Logic of Deal-Making Versus Putin’s Logic of War-Making

Posted by & filed under Peacebuilding, Security, Ukraine War

As the Ukraine War approaches the grim mark of three years, it appears both ripe for an armistice and impossible to bring to an end.

Ruma Aktar / Stock photo / Getty Images

For US President Donald Trump, this war is a senseless waste of people and resources, which should be stopped immediately. For Russian President Vladimir Putin, it is an existential struggle that must prove Russia’s status as a global power of the first rank.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky is caught between these two incompatible visions: He doesn’t want to be taken for granted by Trump and cannot accept a humiliating compromise with the aggressor.

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Conversations on Ending the War in Ukraine Grow Louder and Emptier

Posted by & filed under Peacebuilding, Ukraine War

The first week of the “Golden Age” of U.S. policy announced by President Donald Trump registered a stream of messages from the White House on the need to bring the war in Ukraine to an end (White House, January 20).

Volodymyr Zelenskyi and Donald Trump in September 2024. Photo: Uliana Boichuk/Novyny LIVE/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images

The Kremlin duly responded with signals of readiness to discuss all matters of mutual interest, taking into account the “current realities” (RIA Novosti, January 24).Read More

Trump Vol. 2 Will Impact Global Development

Posted by & filed under Humanitarianism, Peacebuilding

The United States is by far the world’s largest provider of foreign aid, but it is completely unclear whether and how this will continue. Trump speaks of quickly achieving peace but at the same time he threatens neighboring countries. One thing is certain, however: Trump will not prioritize climate issues.

The United States is by far the world’s largest provider of foreign aid. Before the inauguration, there were strangely few signals about the U.S.’s foreign aid policies and priorities. Photo: J. Countess/Getty Images

Much attention has been given to Trump’s statements about the takeover of Greenland, Canada, and the Panama Canal. In an increasingly divided and conflict-ridden world, this creates uncertainty and concerns that international law and human rights will be deprioritized over the next four years.Read More

Moscow Sticks to Peace Denials Despite War Exhaustion

Posted by & filed under Peacebuilding, Security, Ukraine War

The Russian offensive in Donbas has slowed in the last few weeks to a crawl, and in the Kursk oblast, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s order to expel the Ukrainian forces remains unfulfilled. This deadlock, in which both sides suffer heavy casualties, could have created a favorable situation for opening peace negotiations. Such talks remain a hypothetical proposition, and the Kremlin is signaling its full commitment to its maximalist demands of Ukraine’s capitulation (Rossiiskaya Gazeta, January 10).

Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin in 2018. Photo: Mikhail Svetlov / Getty Images

This demonstrative toughness sharply contrasts with public opinion, which clearly favors ending the war.Read More

Greenland Is Not for Sale

Posted by & filed under Energy Transitions and Conflict, Environment, Governance, Law and Ethics

President Donald Trump has provoked strong reactions with his proposition to buy Greenland, not the least because the right to self-determination is a fundamental principle in international law, allowing peoples to freely determine their political status and pursue their economic, social, and cultural development.

Nanortalik, Greenland. Photo: Jim Griffin via Flickr (CC-BY)

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This Is What Norwegians Think About Emergency Alerts on Mobile Phones

Posted by and & filed under Security

The mobile phone has become an indispensable part of our daily lives. We carry it with us everywhere, and it’s a crisis when it’s lost. Now it has also taken on a new role: alerting us to emergencies.

The traditional sirens for alerting are still there, while alerting on mobile phones is now being tested. Photo: Norwegian Directorate for Civil Protection

On Wednesday, January 8, emergency alerts on mobile phones were tested across Norway, eighteen months since the system was first tested nationwide.

But how has the Norwegian population received the new alert system?Read More

The International Criminal Court at Risk of Collapse

Posted by & filed under Law and Ethics

As many are by now acutely aware, the International Criminal Court (ICC) relies on state cooperation to investigate and arrest individuals charged with international crimes. This is not new. What is new is the seriousness, complexity, and extent of the political resistance that the ICC is currently facing after issuing an arrest warrant for a Western ally. The court risks collapse.

The arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is the first against a sitting head of state in a so-called liberal democracy, writes Kjersti Lohne. Benjamin Netanyahu in 2024. Photo by Kent Nishimura/Getty Images

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