The Right to Decide: Exit and Basque Self-Determination

Posted by & filed under Governance, Law and Ethics, Peacebuilding, Regions and Powers, Security

Five years ago, the Basque militant group ETA (Basque Homeland and Freedom) announced a unilateral and permanent cessation of operations. Since then, the disappearance of political violence has given rise to a new debate on Basque nationhood: more inclusive, more open, more civic, and at the same time stronger in its affirmation of the legitimacy of popular sovereignty and the democratic demand to exercise ‘the right to decide’, as against the earlier radicalism of immediate independence.

A new book edited by Pedro Ibarra Güell and Åshild Kolås, Basque Nationhood Towards a Democratic Scenario, takes stock of the contemporary re-imagining of Basque nationhood in both Spain and France. Taking a fresh look at the history of Basque nationalist movements, it explores new debates that have emerged since the demise of non-state militancy. Alongside analysis of local transformations, the book also describes the impacts of a pan-European (if not global) rethinking of self-determination, or ‘the right to decide’.

Basque Country Needs You. Credit: Iker Merodio via Flickr

Read More

This Week in South Sudan – Week 25

Posted by

Monday 20 June International Crisis Group: “From Conflict to Cooperation? Sudan, South Sudan and Uganda” Voice of America, Straight Talk Africa video: “South Sudan in Focus” Tuesday 21 June More than 140 South Sudanese judges went on strike, demanding better working conditions and the reimbursement of four years of expenses. Wednesday 22 June The Troika… Read more »

Open-Access Publishing and Academic Freedom

Posted by & filed under Research Politics

Open-access publishing will make research findings freely available. But what will happen when researchers have to pay to get their own results published? Researchers’ freedom of choice regarding publication channels may become severely restricted if this issue is not taken seriously.

7066675199_8aed931933_bTwo weeks ago, a working group appointed by the Norwegian Ministry of Education and Research published proposed National Guidelines for Open Access to Research Results (in Norwegian).

Read More

Syria Travellers and Security Threats

Posted by and & filed under Governance, Law and Ethics, Migration, Security

Foreign fighters returning from Syria have emerged as a looming security threat in many European countries, so also in Norway.

As well as preventive measures against radicalization and mobilization by the Islamic State, there have been calls for the withdrawal of citizenship and deportation of returned foreign fighters. This raises a number of questions:

  • Are Norwegians more secure if we send potential terrorists out of the country?
  • Is this even feasible, if Norway wants to stay within the ‘border-free’ Europe?
  • What are the trade-offs between security and civil rights to citizenship, and how can they best be balanced?
  • Is citizenship essentially something that needs to be earned, or is it an inalienable right?
  • Should withdrawal of citizenship be a form of punishment, and if so, is it a good idea to open up this pandora’s box?
Photo credit: Jayel Aheram

Photo credit: Jayel AheramUnder PRIOs NATION project, Katrine Fangen (Department of Sociology and Human Geography, University of Oslo) and Åshild Kolås (PRIO) have published an article in Critical Studies on Terrorism: ‘The “Syria traveller”: Reintegration or legal sanctioning?’. The article analyses Norwegian discourses (in the media, policy documents, and parliamentary debates) on Islamist radicalization, with a focus on a new category of people known as ‘Syria travellers’: young Norwegians who go to Syria to fight for the Islamic State (IS).

Read More

This Week in South Sudan – Week 24

Posted by

Monday 13 June BBC: “What New York Times article says about South Sudan” Tuesday 14 June A unit of the SPLA allegedly ransacked and looted a market in the Kajo Keji area, Central Equatoria State, sparking armed confrontation in which more than 20 lives were lost. 16 former officials were sentenced to life in prison… Read more »

Moscow keeps promising responses to NATO activities

Posted by

Dmitry Peskov, the press secretary to President Vladimir Putin, is generally not known for eloquence. But his comment last week (June 7) about the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s exercises in the Baltic region stands out both for its convolutedness and uncharacteristic meekness. His point, reproduced by all Russian mainstream media, can be approximately translated as:… Read more »

Open Access – Our Academic Responsibility

Posted by , , , , , and & filed under Research Politics

Illustration by Marina Noordegraaf. Via Flickr.

The Norwegian government wants Norway to be a forerunner in the effort to ensure open access to published research. To this end, the government established a working group at the start of 2016, assigned with the task of compiling guidelines for open access to scientific papers. We, the working group, submitted our recommendation on 14 June.

We recommend a number of measures to accelerate the transition to open access. We believe, for example, that Norway needs to amend its current methods for quality evaluations and accreditation of publications, as the current publication indicator seems to be an obstacle for open journals.Read More

This Week in South Sudan – Week 23

Posted by

Tuesday 7 June Authorship of New York Times Op-ed debated: “South Sudan Needs Truth, Not Trials” The Guardian: “South Sudan leaders did not sign off New York Times article, aides say” Foreign Policy: “The New York Times South Sudan Op-Ed That Wasn’t” The Washington Post: “Who wrote that op-ed? The New York Times isn’t sure.”… Read more »

It’s Time to Open our Eyes to Women’s Involvement in Peace Processes

Posted by & filed under Gender, Peacebuilding

Women are central contributors to peace processes. But the crucial roles that women play in transitions from war to peace are rarely acknowledged. The focus on the negotiating table and formal politics – the diplomatic aspects of conflict resolution – is a too narrow understanding of peace processes. Recent case studies on Somalia and Bosnia found that such a narrow focus has undermined the many arenas in which women contribute. It is necessary to reconsider the way we think within the field of ‘Women, Peace and Security’.

Fatima Jibril, Founder of Somali Horn Relief International, speaking at the Global Open Day for Women and Peace 2010. (Credits: UNIFEM)

Peace is not created at the negotiating table alone. In countries struck by armed conflict whole populations are severely affected. Peacebuilding does therefore not merely happen on paper, but in the people and societies where peace is to be created. Peace mediators and other relevant actors need to broaden their horizons. By examining women’s roles a more thorough understanding of peace processes can be obtained. When men go to fight, women often become the main providers of their families and relatives and take over many of the roles previously occupied by men. In transitions from war to peace, women are active in various societal arenas such as through civil service, education and voluntary organisations. Women therefore have knowledge and experience that is crucial for societal transitions towards more sustainable peace.Read More

Norway and Kenya Prepare for Forceful Returns of Somalis

Posted by & filed under Law and Ethics, Migration

As the blessed month of Ramadan begins, many here in Mogadishu are concerned about the security situation, with talks of increased numbers of Al-Shabaab insurgents entering the city in preparation of carrying out attacks.

“Do not be fooled by this city. For it may look normal, but what you see is an illusion. The reality is that the security is so fragile”

Read More