Simon Schwartzman: My Norwegian Mentor

Posted by & filed under Peace Research

Johan Galtung, PRIO’s founder, is 92 today. We take this opportunity to publish an  essay by one of his former students, Simon Schwartzman.

The author is seated in front to the left in this picture from January 1965. Behind him, three other PRIO visiting staff, Paul Smoker, Manolo Mora y Araujo, and Malvern Lumsden. To the right, PRIO’s core staff at the time, Ingrid Eide [Galtung], Mari Holmboe Ruge, and Johan Galtung. Photo: Unknown

In 1963, I met Johan Galtung for the first time. He was to become one of my important mentors. This is the story of how that came to be.Read More

Drones over Norway: A Security and Regulatory Analysis

Posted by & filed under Security

Over the last five weeks, numerous incidents involving drones have made headlines in Norway. These incidents include multiple drone sightings outside oil platforms and energy installations, drone incursions in the vicinity of airports leading to the temporary closure of some of them, and Russian citizens being arrested at Norwegian border crossing sites and airports in possession of drones and drone-collected data on their way back to Russia.

Photo: Richard Unten / Wikimedia Commons

There are obviously too many occurrences for this to be chalked to be a mere coincidence, but there is something deeper and problematic taking place here: for years, Norway has been ill-prepared to face the drone threat, and the current scenario of hybrid war in Ukraine and beyond has only made those vulnerabilities bigger, more dangerous, and more visible.Read More

To Support Afghan Women Activists, Prioritize Local Knowledge over Numbers

Posted by and & filed under Gender, Peacebuilding, Regions and Powers

In July, the US Department of State launched the US-Afghan Consultative Mechanism in partnership with the United States Institute of Peace, Atlantic Council, Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security, and Sisterhood is Global Institute.

An Afghan woman attends the inauguration of women’s library in Kabul, Afghanistan, August 24, 2022. Photo: REUTERS/Ali Khara

As the Taliban continues to strip women and vulnerable groups inside Afghanistan of their human rights, the Mechanism intends to provide international platforms for Afghan women who are scattered around the world, track human rights violations, and identify ways that the international community can support inclusive peace in Afghanistan.Read More

Russia Tries to Extend and Exploit a Pause in War

Posted by & filed under Regions and Powers, Ukraine War

Fast-moving developments in various tactical battlefields of Russia’s war against Ukraine have notably slowed during the past week, and Moscow is actively seeking to prolong this procrastination.

Press conference during travel to Kazakhstan. Photo: Ramil Sitdikov, RIA Novosti / kremlin.ru

President Vladimir Putin, traveling to Astana, Kazakhstan, for a convalescence of several summits, sought to alter his hawkish narrative and downplay the “unpleasant” Ukrainian theme (Gazeta.ru, October 14).

None of Putin’s counterparts supported Russia in the debates at the UN General Assembly last week, but most — with the notable exception of Turkey — opted to abstain from voting on the resolution condemning the annexation of the four Ukrainian regions (Meduza, October 14). Russian diplomats tried to explain away the fiasco of 143 states supporting this resolution (two more than supported the March 2 resolution condemning Russian aggression) as purely the result of the United States and its allies “twisting arms” behind the scenes (Izvestiya, October 13). The Russian leader, however, had a myriad of other reasons for softening his discourse.Read More

No Escape for Putin from His Lonely and Tight Corner

Posted by & filed under Nobel Peace Prize, Ukraine War

On October 7, celebrations in Russia for President Vladimir Putin’s 70th birthday were rather muted and distinctly half-hearted.

Photo: Russian Presidential Press and Information Office / Wikimedia Commons

For the big day, Putin opted to stage an informal gathering of six leaders from post-Soviet states — Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan — in St. Petersburg. The formal meeting of the barely functional Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) is scheduled next week in the Kazakhstani capital of Astana (recently renamed back from Nur-Sultan).

The Russian president described the content-free gathering as a “good tradition,” perhaps reflecting on his 50th birthday at the CIS summit in Chisinau, Moldova, when, at the time, his reform agenda inspired hope for meaningful cooperation (Interfax, October 7).Read More

Nobel Peace Prize Honors Courage and Dignity

Posted by & filed under Nobel Peace Prize, Ukraine War

The Norwegian Nobel Committee had to make an exceedingly difficult decision this year. At a time of war raging in Europe, was the proposition of a peace prize even relevant?

Ukraine is certainly fighting a just war and deserves every measure of support that the global West can muster, but it is still a party to the war and refuses to talk about peace on Russian terms. It would have been possible to find deserving peace-promoting candidates in other regions of the world, but this would have meant turning away from Europe, where the need to make a difference with awarding the high-impact prize is the greatest.

The committee did find a solution – and it is an excellent one, no doubt.

Ill. Niklas Elmehed © Nobel Prize Outreach

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Sexual Violence by Military Leaders: The Canadian Leadership Crisis

Posted by & filed under Gender, Law and Ethics, Security

Content Warning: This blog contains content related to sexual violence and sexual assault.

The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) is steeped in a culture of sexual misconduct. CAF leadership has allowed an environment of sexual misconduct to fester for decades, stretching from military colleges through every branch of the military.

Photo: United States Army / Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

Thirteen top commanders have been accused and charged with sexual harassment and assault since the crisis gained widespread public attention in February 2021. Following its failure to address both the culture of sexual assault and harassment as well as fulfil their responsibility to hold perpetrators accountable, the Canadian Armed Forces faces a leadership crisis; a crisis unprecedented among NATO countries.Read More

Putin’s Botched Mobilization and Nuclear Non-Option

Posted by & filed under Regions and Powers, Ukraine War

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s September 21st address to the nation could prove to be one of his most fateful blunders in his disastrous war in Ukraine.

In his 15-minute pre-recorded speech, Putin announced support for the referendums in four Ukrainian regions, declared partial mobilization in Russia, accused the West of aggressive “Russophobia” and threatened to use nuclear weapons. The Russian leader concluded by expressing confidence in the support of Russian citizens (Nezavisimaya gazeta, September 21).

These propositions have proved to be delusions.

Vladimir Putin addressing the nation in September 2022. Photo: kremlin.ru

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The Peace Researcher Is a Deeply Worried Optimist

Posted by & filed under Peace Research, Regions and Powers

Henrik Urdal, Director of the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO), laughs out loud when our journalist points out all the worries that have emerged during their conversation.

Photo: Hedvig Idås, Forsvarets forum

He does indeed believe that many left-wingers can end up supporting Norwegian EU membership. But he fears continued political polarization in the United States, and is worried that populist movements in Europe will be boosted by the energy crisis and other crises. China and Russia are also on his list of concerns.Read More

A Perfect Storm? The Impact of the Ukraine War on Donor Priorities

Posted by and & filed under Humanitarianism, Ukraine War

Two seemingly unrelated global events in September – the devastating floods in Pakistan and the Russian closure of the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline – intersect on the issue of funding for humanitarian relief.

The devastating floods in Pakistan is one of the events that impacted funding of humanitarian relief in 2022. Photo: UNICEF

The surge in power prices, the fall in European currencies, and the fears of economic downturn in Europe as a result of collective European support for Ukraine threatens the ability to raise emergency relief funds for future humanitarian crises in the Global South.

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