PRIO's Peace in a Pod: Recent Episodes
Peace Research Institute Oslo
How can we explain peace and conflict in the world? What do security and insecurity do to a region and its people? How do different kinds of violence affect people, and how do societies tackle crises – and the threat of crisis? The Peace Research Institute Oslo brings you expert opinions on the headlines, personal stories from the field, and cutting-edge research in this weekly podcast.
On 28 February, the IPCC, the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change,
launched the second part of its Sixth Assessment Report. This part assesses the impacts of
climate change, looking at ecosystems, biodiversity, and human communities at global and
regional levels. It also reviews vulnerabilities and the capacities and limits of the natural
world and human societies to adapt to climate change.
One of the main conclusions of the report is that climate adaptation is proceeding too slowly
and that measures are being implemented on too small a scale to address the major climate
challenges we face.
In this episode, we discuss the findings of the report, and the work behind it, with PRIO
Research Professor Halvard Buhaug, who is a lead author in the Sixth Assessment Report.
The last few months in Bosnia have been marked by moves towards secession and a flare-up of
ethnic tensions emanating from Republika Srpska, the Serb-majority entity of Bosnia and
Herzegovina established by the Dayton Peace Agreement which put an end to the 3 ½-year-long
Bosnian War. Commentators are describing the last few months as the worst political and security
crisis since the war ended in 1995.
In this episode, we discuss the current crisis and ask if what we are seeing in Bosnia is new to the
country or part of a longer trend. We also discuss what these past few months tell us about the
successes and shortcomings of formal peace agreements.
Political scientist and migration scholar Aida Ibričević and psychologist and peace scholar Inger
Skjelsbæk join Teuta Kukleci, Communicator at PRIO, for a conversation on the topic.
Every year, PRIO holds its Annual Peace Address, inviting distinguished guests to reflect on how to contribute to the creation of a world in which violence is the exception and peace is the norm. In 2021 the peace address was given by Jeffrey D. Sachs with the title “Why we must avoid a new cold war and how to do it”.
Sachs is a world-leading expert in economics and sustainable development, University Professor and Director of the Center for Sustainable Development at Columbia University.
Watch the video of the full address and discussion here
Scrambles for natural resources and struggles for power when such resources come to light are a frequent cause of international conflict and tension around the world. In the Eastern Mediterranean, recent discovery of hydrocarbon has only exacerbated existing tensions. This is a region that includes Cyprus, Turkey, Greece, Syria, Egypt, Lebanon, Palestine, and Israel. Today we’re going to hear from PRIO Cyprus Centre researcher Zenonas Tziarras on this topic: he'll explain the key players, the recent history, and what kinds of issues he thinks are worth highlighting there.
What is the transformative potential of visual storytelling in conflict research?
In the project Societal Transformation in Conflict Contexts or (TRANSFORM), animations and comics were created in collaboration between researchers, activists, artists, writers, and many others. These pieces of art not only serve to inspire possible change, but also to illustrate and highlight stories of societal transformation around the world. That work was done in collaboration with PositiveNegatives.
Today Ben Dix, PositiveNegatives Founder, and Cindy Horst, Research Professor at PRIO, talk about their work together.
Related material * The TRANSFORM project webpage on prio.org * The TRANSFORM virtual exhibition * PositiveNegatives website * The podcast episode with Kue Cool and Marte Nilsen * Co-Creating Knowledge: Creative collaborations between researchers, artists, policymakers and practitioners (PRIO Policy Brief)
When the Taliban took over Afghanistan in August 2021, many academics found themselves in a desperate scramble. For female academics in particular, the threat of retaliation and loss of freedoms was ominous. Meanwhile, their colleagues and counterparts in other countries struggled to help them. Professor Jacqui True at Monash University managed to successfully help bring several female academics from Afghanistan to Australia.
Today Jacqui and Afghan scholar Parisa talk about developments in Afghanistan and the journey to Monash University.
Related material* Listen to the ABC broadcast here * Read about the 16 Days of Activism here
In the 1980s, in what was then Northern Somalia, doctors, teachers, and other professionals lived out their ethics and ideals by restoring a hospital and responding to the needs of people in their community. Their actions were rewarded with arrests and imprisonment. This is the story of the Uffo group.
In today’s podcast Mohamed Aden Hassan and Ebba Tellander discuss Uffo and how this story can inspire people around the world - especially perhaps the Somali Diaspora.
Ebba also wishes to acknowledge research assistance by Nasra Dahir Moahed and Shukri Ali (whose voice we hear in this episode as well).
Related material * Read the comics in English or Somali on positivenegatives.org * Watch the animated versions on youtube * Read Ebba's PRIO Blog post Using a Comic to Tell the True Story of the Uffo Struggle for Justice in Somaliland about her research and the comic process * Listen to Peace in a Pod episode #60 on visual storytelling with Cindy Horst and Ben Dix * Visit the TRANSFORM project webpage to read about more projects like this one
In 2020, 1.6 billion children were living in a conflict-ridden country. Approximately 452 million children – more than one in six – were living less than 50 km from where the actual fighting took place.
For the last few years PRIO and Save the Children have collaborated on the Children in Conflict project which illuminates the number of children affected by violent conflict around the world. Updates have expanded to include children living in conflict zones where they are at risk for sexual violence.
In this episode Gudrun Østby, Ragnhild Nordås, and Roos van der Haer talk about this research collaboration.
Related material * Stop the War on Children: A crisis of recruitment (Save the Children report) * Children at Risk of Being Recruited for Armed Conflict, 1990–2020 (PRIO Policy Brief) * 1 in 8 children are at risk of being recruited by armed actors (PRIO Blog post) * Children Affected by Armed Conflict, 1990–2020 (PRIO Policy Brief)
Hyper-masculine leaders have grabbed headlines in the last few years: Putin, Trump, Bolsonaro, Erdogan. All of them employ the rhetoric of masculinity in public discourse and ultimately, often, policy. It’s worth asking: is this a new trend, and what does it mean for the ones living in these countries, especially women and LGBTQ individuals?
Johanne Rokke Elvebakken, Gender, Peace and Security Centre Coordinator at PRIO, and Kelly Fisher, Research Assistant, have both written on this topic and share their thoughts in conversation today.
Related material * Kelly's PRIO Blog post, "The Differing Masculinities of Trump and Biden" (PRIO Blogs) * Johanne's Centre for Gender Research piece on "Women and LGBT+ Persons in International Peace and Security Policy"
Before the Taliban regained control of the country this year, before they were the target and adversary of US military force, the Taliban were the governing force in Afghanistan. And before that, they were a transnational group of religious students.
To give context to modern-day Afghanistan and the political developments there, PRIO researcher Kristian Berg Harpviken provides a brief history of the Taliban on today’s episode.
For some immigrants, acquiring citizenship in a new country is the final goal in a long journey of various residence statuses and times of uncertainty. But getting citizenship is not always the end of the story. From alienation through documentation, to having citizenship taken away, there can be other twists and turns even then. For immigrants with for example refugee status similar difficulties can occur.
Marta Bivand Erdal has researched citizenship, permits, and immigration status in Norway, and today discusses some of this research and her findings.
Related materialTwo of Marta's publications on this topic:
- Losing the Right to Stay: Revocation of Refugee Permits in Norway in Journal of refugee Studies (Open Access), co-authored with Jan Paul Brekke and Simon Roland Birkvad
- ‘Birthplace unknown’: on the symbolic value of the passport for identity-construction among naturalised citizens in Identities (Open Access), co-authored with Arnfinn Midtbøen
The Nobel Peace Prize for 2021 has been awarded to Maria Ressa and Dmitry Muratov, with the committee highlighting these journalists' efforts to safeguard freedom of expression. Maria Ressa is a Filipino-American journalist who has revealed abuse of power, violence, and authoritarianism in the Philippines. Dmitry Muratov is editor-in-chief of Novaya Gazeta, the most independent Russian newspaper.
To comment on this prize, PRIO researchers Maria Gabrielsen Jumbert and Pavel Baev join the podcast with their fresh reactions.
With just one week left before the Nobel Peace Prize is announced, we take a look at PRIO Director Henrik Urdal's shortlist of possible candidates.
Thank you to the many guests on this episode:
- Henrik Urdal, PRIO Director
- Maria Gabrielsen Jumbert, Research Director and Senior Researcher
- Carina Strøm Smith, Research Assistant
- Jonas Vestby, Senior Researcher
- Jørgen Jensehaugen, Senior Researcher
- Amalie Nilsen, Research Assistant
What is the transformative potential of visual storytelling in conflict research?
In the project Societal Transformation in Conflict Contexts or (TRANSFORM), animations and comics were created in collaboration between researchers, activists, artists, writers, and many others. These pieces of art not only serve to inspire possible change, but also to illustrate and highlight stories of societal transformation around the world. That work was done in collaboration with PositiveNegatives.
Today Ben Dix, PositiveNegatives Founder, and Cindy Horst, Research Professor at PRIO, talk about their work together.
Related material * The TRANSFORM project webpage on prio.org * The TRANSFORM virtual exhibition * PositiveNegatives website * Peace in a Pod episode 18 with Kue Cool and Marte Nilsen, "Art, Conflict, and Land Rights in Myanmar" * Co-Creating Knowledge: Creative collaborations between researchers, artists, policymakers and practitioners (PRIO Policy Brief)
On September 5th, 2021, the military in Guinea pulled off a coup against president alpha conde. The coup was led by Colonel Mamady Doumbouya, and since then the situation has been unclear, though the military remains in power. Many in Guinea welcomed the power change, while others condemn it – and the international community largely falls in the second camp. What will happen next?
Related material * Listen to last year's podcast episode on Guinea and West Africa * Read Zahara's PRIO Blog post "Protests, Elections, and Ethnic Tensions in West Africa: What are the Driving Forces?"
Scrambles for natural resources and struggles for power when such resources come to light are a frequent cause of international conflict and tension around the world. In the Eastern Mediterranean, recent discovery of hydrocarbon has only exacerbated existing tensions. This is a region that includes Cyprus, Turkey, Greece, Syria, Egypt, Lebanon, Palestine, and Israel.
Today we’re going to hear from PRIO Cyprus Centre researcher Zenonas Tziarras on this topic: he'll explain the key players, the recent history, and what kinds of issues he thinks are worth highlighting there.
Today marks 20 years since 9/11. In this episode four researchers share their reflections on what the effects of this event have been on global politics, security, and war.
Related material * Hva vi snakker om når vi snakker om digitaliseringens politikk – Mareile Kaufmann i samtale med Jan Grue in Nytt Norsk Tidsskrift (in Norwegian) * Predictive Policing and the Politics of Patterns in The British Journal of Criminology (Open Access), co-authored by Mareile Kaufmann, Simon Egbert and Matthias Leese * Lisa Hajjar's article The Counterterrorism War Paradigm versus International Humanitarian Law: The Legal Contradictions and Global Consequences of the US “War on Terror" in Law & Social Inquiry
In the last few years, technology has played a huge role in Myanmar’s politics and life in the last few years. Research Professor Stein Tønnesson explains how Facebook and Telenor in particular went wrong – and right – in the country, and what lasting effects those companies have had.
Just over seven months ago, on February 1st, 2021, the world witnessed a shockingly audacious military coup in Myanmar, in which the democratically elected National League for Democracy was deposed. Shortly after, PRIO researchers Marte Nilsen, Trude Stapnes, and Stein Tønnesson appeared in a podcast episode devoted to the coup. Today I’m talking again to these three researchers, getting their impressions and updates after seven months.
Related material * Read Marte's PRIO Blog post "The politics of humanitarian aid to Myanmar" * Visit Myanmar Bazaar on Instagram * Thank you to Sophie for reading her poem * Thank you also to Rap Against Junta and 882021 for permission to play the song – you can watch 882021's video for "Lee Coup" here
The past week has been a shock for Afghanistan and the world watching. In a matter of days, the Taliban took over regional capitals one by one, entering Kabul on Sunday, August 15.
How could this have happened? Was it foreseeable – and preventable? Research Professor Kristian Berg Harpviken shares some initial thoughts on today’s episode.
Related material* Kristian's PRIO Blog post "What happened to Afghanistan's security forces"
In the second of this two-parter, Jørgen Carling shares his tips for employing mixed methods in research.
Related material * Jørgen has made an overview of mixed methods examples in his own work, available on his personal website * Mario Luis Small's overview on recent trends "How to Conduct a Mixed Methods Study: Recent Trends in a Rapidly Growing Literature", published in Annual Review of Sociology * The article "Gender and the Meanings of Adolescent Romantic Relationships: A Focus on Boys" in American Sociological Review, based on mixed methods research
Research methods inform how knowledge is gained. The methods a researcher uses are often at the core of how they think about the world. Increasingly, some researchers have tried mixing methods. But this approach to research, though often beneficial, can also be challenging. PRIO research professor Jørgen Carling shares what he has learned about using mixed methods, and why it works so well for him.
Related material * Jørgen has made an overview of mixed methods examples in his own work, available on his personal website * Mario Luis Small's overview on recent trends "How to Conduct a Mixed Methods Study: Recent Trends in a Rapidly Growing Literature", published in Annual Review of Sociology * The article "Gender and the Meanings of Adolescent Romantic Relationships: A Focus on Boys" in American Sociological Review, based on mixed methods research
In the last few weeks a familiar subject matter has dominated headlines again: is structural racism an issue in the UK, Norway, France, and many other countries? Is this term, which is often situated in an American context, relevant to Europe and other parts of the world? PRIO Research Director Marta Bivand Erdal goes beyond the debate on whether or not structural racism is a useful term to the heart of the matter: no matter what terms we use, she argues, people are experiencing discrimination big and small in their everyday lives. And often linked quite simply to other people’s assumptions, which they base on what a person looks like. How can these incidents be resolved and reckoned with?
Related material * ‘It should change’: Young people on skin colour and national belonging in Norway (PRIO Blog post, co-authored by Marta and Mette Strømsø) * Antiracism: the willingness to understand others (PRIO Blog post, co-authored by Marta and Peder Nustad) * The Debate on Structural Racism Is Far More Polarized Than It Needs to Be (PRIO Blog post by Marta, originally published in Norwegian in Utrop) * Project webpage for Negotiating the Nation: Implications of Ethnic and Religious Diversity for National Identity (NATION), led by Marta * Project webpage for Governing and Experiencing Citizenship in Multicultural Scandinavia (GOVCIT), also led by Marta
Justice after a conflict is often part of peacebuilding, and can be an important part of addressing victims’ experiences. These post-conflict processes are called “transitional justice” and are well-studied. During-conflict justice is less understood. When governments use trials, truth commissions, exiles and other tools to address crimes, even while violence is ongoing, what does it do to both the conflict itself and the people involved? Lino Owor Ogora, Nobert Dacan, and Cyanne Loyle join the podcast to address the case of Uganda.
Related material* All is Fair in Law and War: Judicial Behavior in Conflict-affected Societies project page with related publications
Today marks the 10th anniversary of the bombing of the Oslo government quarters and the massacre on Utøya by terrorist Anders Behring Breivik. On the 22nd of July 2011, 77 people died, many more were injured and traumatized, and the effects of that event are still being felt today.
This week, Kristin Sandvik and Ingeborg Hjorth talk about the memorial at Utøya, and the controversy iterations of it have generated. They also illuminate how the ripple effects of a tragedy like this make waves in such a small country as Norway.
Related material * One of the key articles referenced here, "Rettens rolle etter 22. juli: Minnearbeid, overlevende og gjenoppbygging", by Kristin Bergtora Sandvik, Ingunn Ikdahl and Kjersti Lohne, published in Norsk Sosiologisk Tidsskrift * The Aftenposten article by Per Anders Madsen from 2017, also referenced in the episode, Nå må Utøyastriden løses
Have humans evolved psychological adaptations to war? That's what Henrikas Bartusevičius will look at in his cutting-edge research project "Adapted to War", funded by the European Research Council and hosted at PRIO.
To answer this question, he’ll have to work across disciplines, conducting lab experiments and surveys. We discuss how he became interested in this topic, and what it could mean for how we understand human behavior.
On the 22nd of July, 2011, Norway experienced it’s deadliest attack since World War II. Ten years later, the country is still reckoning with what happened. Part of that reckoning is physical, embodied in the tearing down and rebuilding of the government quarter where the first attack took place. Much of the construction and planning has been controversial, and there is still extensive work to be done.
In this episode, Kristin Bergtora Sandvik and Sissel Haugdal Jore discuss how the rebuilding has been planned and envisioned, and what this can mean for the security of ordinary citizens – both in their everyday lives, and in how we conceptualize safety in cities.
Jore was part of the concept assessment for the future government quarters, and also conducted a research project on the consequences of security in Oslo. Sandvik leads a new project on the attack, titled "LAW22JULY: RIPPLES: Rights, Institutions, Procedures, Participation, Litigation: Embedding Security".
Related material * Here is more on the Y Block * Morgenbladet-piece discussed in the episode, co-authored by Jore "Sikkerhet er ingen unnskyldning for å lukke debatter om nytt regjeringskvartal" * "Troublesome trade-offs: balancing urban activities and values when securing a city-centre governmental quarter" in City, Territory and Architecture * "The contribution of foresight to improve long-term security planning" in Technological Forecasting and Social Change
In the wake of Black Lives Matter protests around the world, many institutions looked inward at what they could do or change, PRIO included. Last year PRIO allocated internal funding to develop projects on ethnic, racial, cultural and religious discrimination. One of those projects is "Teaching African peace and conflict through European eyes (EuropAcademy)", led by Ilaria Carozza and Marie Sandnes. They set out to assess university syllabi from around Europe, before and after 2015 (when the #RhodesMustFall movement started), to see how diverse they were and are. In this episode they share their initial findings from courses on Africa, peace and conflict offered at several European universities, and talk about where they'd like to take the project.
Related material * PRIO's Collection on Racism, Inequality and Discrimination posted to the PRIO Blog in October 2020 * A PRIO Policy Brief by Ilaria and Marie on the topic: Studying Diversity in European Academia: Transparency and Access to Syllabi on African Politics, Peace and Conflict
What makes people support terrorism or violent extremism? Is there any way to know what factors contribute? As terrorism has increasingly become a global concern, research has focused on who becomes a terrorist, and who supports terrorism, with many valuable conclusions coming out of that research. But until now no one has looked at whether these findings hold on a global scale.
In a new report for the United Nations Development Programme, Tora Sagård investigated just that, and in this episode she discusses her thoughts on the results.
In late 1991, refugee camps were set up in Dadaab, Kenya. Today, the three camps located there make up the third-largest refugee complex in the world. For many, Dadaab is a long term home, and education is of course an important part of life both in the camp and once an individual leaves. But while the UN Sustainable Development Goal 4 recognizes the need for everyone to have access to education, questions still remain about how to convert that education into stable and durable futures.
Today, Hassan Aden takes us into his research from Dadaab and launches a new animation made in collaboration with Hanna Ali and the PositiveNegatives team.
Related material * The REBuilD project webpage * Refugee Education: A Long-Term Investment, a PRIO Policy Brief by Hassan and Cindy Horst and Hassan * Watch "An Agent for Change" on Vimeo * You can find more PositiveNegatives work at positivenegatives.org
For the last 19 years, PRIO and the Uppsala university Department of peace and conflict have collaborated on the Uppsala Conflict Data Program. It’s the world’s main provider of data on organized violence, and is updated each year. In this episode Siri Aas Rustad shares the latest update and talks about changes and trends we’re seeing in armed conflict.
Related material * The underlying data and visualizations on the Uppsala University website * The referenced Peace in a Pod episode 37 on ISIS (or listen in any podcast app by searching for the episode title "Jihadism's Rise and Spread")
Every year, PRIO holds its Annual Peace Address, inviting distinguished guests to reflect on how to contribute to the creation of a world in which violence is the exception and peace is the norm. To bring these interesting, inspiring addresses to a wider audience we’ll be sharing some of them on the podcast as well. This week: Ilwad Elman, a Somali-Canadian activist who works at the Elman Peace and Human Rights Center in Mogadishu, and is an icon in advancing the youth, peace and security agenda.
Many nurses working here in Norway have migrated from other parts of the world. Why do they move, and what do they experience when they begin working life in a new context? In the project Migration for welfare (WELLMIG), researchers looked specifically at nurse migration in Norway, from three countries – Sweden, Poland and the Philippines. The differences and similarities in their experiences are illuminating. Marta Bivand Erdal and Lubomiła Korzeniewska talk on this episode about "deskilling" and what motivates nurse migrants.
Related material * Deskilling unpacked: Comparing Filipino and Polish migrant nurses’ professional experiences in Norway in Migration Studies (Open Access) * Is a nurse who migrates to work abroad an expat? (WELLMIG Blog Post) < li>On not getting lost in translation (WELLMIG Blog Post)
This week, for the second time in less than a year, Col Assimi Goïta seized power in Mali. To explain how and why, PRIO Marie Sandnes joins the podcast for this special extra episode.
Justice after a conflict is often part of peacebuilding, and can be an important part of addressing victims’ experiences. These post-conflict processes are called “transitional justice” and are well-studied. But during-conflict justice is less understood. When governments use trials, truth commissions, exiles and other tools to address crimes, even while violence is ongoing, what does it do to both the conflict itself and the people involved? Lino Owor Ogora, Nobert Dacan, and Cyanne Loyle join the podcast to address the case of Uganda.
Related material * The 'All is Fair in Law and War' project webpage, with related publications
The term “child soldiers” is very evocative. One might think of young children being drugged or forced into fighting, traumatized and exploited. In popular culture, films like Blood Diamond and Beasts of No Nation paint vivid images of child soldiers in Sierra Leone and Ghana. But minors in conflict can be found around the world, and their experiences are not always as clear-cut.
Wenche Iren Hauge currently leads the project Minors in Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration (DDR) Processes – The Gender Dimension and has just released a paper detailing the experiences of minors in Nepal and Colombia. Their experiences don't match the narratives most are familiar with. Today she discusses her findings and how the international community can adjust DDR processes based on these minors experiences.
Related material * “Nobody Listens to Us”: Minors in DDR Processes – The Gender Dimension (PRIO Paper) * A Neglected Agency: Female and Male Minors in DDR Processes (PRIO Policy Brief)
This month marked 100 years since Ireland was split in two, creating Northern Ireland, which is now part of the United Kingdom. Tensions and fighting in Northern Ireland have ebbed and flowed, and still persist today, often in the form of paramilitary groups. These groups – from both sides – are part of society and daily life. In the past few weeks they have also been in the news internationally for the role in the latest riots spurred by Brexit issues
To explain the role of paramilitary groups and the way forward post-Brexit for northern Ireland, I’m joined today by Kristin Bakke and Kit Rickard, who have recently written an article on the topic of paramilitary groups and punishment attacks.
Related material * Kristin and Kit's article, "Northern Ireland: how to understand the influence of paramilitary groups", published in The Conversation * More about their Northern Ireland research on Kit Rickard's personal website * More about the PRIO project Attitudes for Peace
Five years after the European migration and refugee crisis, displacement remains a pressing issue worldwide. According to the UNHCR, the global number of forcibly displaced people passed 80 million during 2020 – the highest estimate ever recorded. Several factors have contributed to this increase, including a rise in political violence and instability, and extreme weather events. But when it comes to calculating how many might be moving due to climate change, there are challenges. Scientific literature hasn't provided a satisfactory answer. In a new article for Nature Communications, Sebastian Schutte, Jonas Vestby, Jørgen Carling and Halvard Buhaug seek to fill this gap and address factors for asylum migration to the European Union.
Related material * The original study, published in Nature: "Climatic conditions are weak predictors of asylum migration" * Or you can read a more popularised version in this PRIO Blog post
April 12 kicked off the month of Ramadan, an important time of year for Muslims. It’s a time for contemplation, prayer and community. It's also a time when many donate "zakat", a kind of charity or almsgiving. Zakat generates billions of US dollars in donations per year, although exact numbers are near-impossible to pinpoint.
PRIO's Kaja Borchgrevink talks about zakat and Muslim charity along with one of her project members Amelia Fauzia, a Professor of Islamic history at Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University, Jakarta.
Jihadism turns up not infrequently in the mainstream media. Al-Qaeda, Boko Haram, ISIS – these are all jihadi groups. The word jihad simply which means struggle, and can be interpreted both as an internal struggle within oneself or as a more general struggle in the outside world. So what else do these groups actually have in common?
On this episode you'll hear Mona Kanwal Sheikh and Dino Krause, two experts on transnational jihadist networks, explain how these groups work together and apart.
Related material * More about Mona and Dino's research on the DIIS website
What do current trends in armed conflict and military technology mean for the future of urban warfare?
What are the future prospects for International Humanitarian Law in settings of urban warfare?
What does this imply for the regulation of uses of explosive weapons in populated areas?
These were the questions addressed in a recent virtual roundtable on the Protection of Civilians and the Future of Urban Warfare that was hosted by PRIO in collaboration with the Norwegian Centre for Humanitarian Studies and the Norwegian Red Cross. In this bonus episode of the podcast you can hear the conversation led by Kristoffer Lidén, Senior Researcher at PRIO, and featuring Hugo Slim, Wanda Muñoz, Radhya Al-Mutawakel, Abigail Watson, and Nicholas Marsh.
In the last few weeks a familiar subject matter has dominated headlines again: is structural racism an issue in the UK, Norway, France, and many other countries? Is this term, which is often situated in an American context, relevant to Europe and other parts of the world? PRIO Research Director Marta Bivand Erdal goes beyond the debate on whether or not structural racism is a useful term to the heart of the matter: no matter what terms we use, she argues, people are experiencing discrimination big and small in their everyday lives. And often linked quite simply to other people’s assumptions, which they base on what a person looks like. How can these incidents be resolved and reckoned with?
Related material * ‘It should change’: Young people on skin colour and national belonging in Norway (PRIO Blog post, co-authored by Marta and Mette Strømsø) * Antiracism: the willingness to understand others (PRIO Blog post, co-authored by Marta and Peder Nustad) * The Debate on Structural Racism Is Far More Polarized Than It Needs to Be (PRIO Blog post by Marta, originally published in Norwegian in Utrop) * Project webpage for Negotiating the Nation: Implications of Ethnic and Religious Diversity for National Identity (NATION), led by Marta * Project webpage for Governing and Experiencing Citizenship in Multicultural Scandinavia (GOVCIT), also led by Marta
Every year, PRIO holds its Annual Peace Address, inviting distinguished guests to reflect on how to contribute to the creation of a world in which violence is the exception and peace is the norm. To bring these interesting, inspiring addresses to a wider audience we’ll be sharing some of them on the podcast as well. This week: activist Hajer Sharief, who works for peacebuilding in Libya, as well as advancing the youth, peace and security agenda.
Every year, PRIO holds its Annual Peace Address, inviting distinguished guests to reflect on how to contribute to the creation of a world in which violence is the exception and peace is the norm. To bring these interesting, inspiring addresses to a wider audience we’ll be sharing some of them on the podcast as well. On the occasion of PRIO's 60th anniversary, Steven Pinker held the PRIO Annual Peace Address in June, 2019, which we present here.
The term "migrant smuggling" might call to mind boats of refugees in the Mediterranean or trucks driving over the US-Mexican border. But migrant smuggling is complicated, and can take many forms. PRIO Research Professor Jørgen Carling has recently looked at how migrant smuggling is experienced by the migrants themselves, and how politicians and nation states use migrant smuggling as an example when making points about their immigration policy.
Sexual assault allegations and the arrest of Senegal's most prominent opposition leader, Ousmane Sonko, have led to weeks of protests in the country. At least eight people have died. Mobilization is especially strong among young people, who are captivated by Sonko's critique of the political system and call for transparency in the management of resources. PRIO's Bintu Zahara Sakor and Aji Ceesay from Peace Direct break down why these protests are significant, and how they have developed.
When we imagine artificial intelligence (AI) in warfare, we might think of films like Blade Runner and its replicants, or Terminator’s Skynet. But in reality, some artificial intelligence usage is already occurring, and contrary to the films, we should be more concerned about the humans involved. The "Warring with Machines” project at PRIO focuses on the people who serve in combat settings with AI-enabled machines. The project aims to yield moral guidelines for AI technology use in three settings: kinetic (physical) combat operations, cyber operations, and strategic planning.
Project leader Gregory Reichberg and project member Shannon French talk about the past, present, and future of AI in this episode.
In honor of International Women's Day, we're highlighting the research of Jenny Lorentzen. Jenny is a Senior Researcher at PRIO and a Post-Doc at Lund University. Her PhD work focused partly on women’s participation in Malian peace processes, so today she's talking about what women in Mali had to do to get a seat at the table, and what can be learned from their efforts, and the work of female negotiators around the world.
Conflict prediction has traditionally involved statistical models and large amounts of data to yield information about where violence will take place. There are challenges with that approach though, and PRIO researchers want to improve conflict forecasting. They're trying a new approach with Conflict Cartographer.
Find out more about Conflict Cartographer here: https://www.prio.org/Projects/Project/?x=1900
Do you have better-than-average knowledge about a country in Africa? You can help out with the project by going to https://conflictcartographer.prio.org and adding your predictions.
In the wake of Black Lives Matter protests around the world, many institutions looked inward at what they could do or change, PRIO included. Last year PRIO allocated internal funding to develop projects on ethnic, racial, cultural and religious discrimination. One of those projects is "Teaching African peace and conflict through European eyes (EuropAcademy)", led by Ilaria Carozza and Marie Sandnes. They set out to assess university syllabi from around Europe, before and after 2015 (when the #RhodesMustFall movement started), to see how diverse they were and are. In this episode they share their initial findings from courses on Africa, peace and conflict offered at several European universities, and talk about where they'd like to take the project.
Related material * PRIO's Collection on Racism, Inequality and Discrimination posted to the PRIO Blog in October 2020 * A PRIO Policy Brief by Ilaria and Marie on the topic: Studying Diversity in European Academia: Transparency and Access to Syllabi on African Politics, Peace and Conflict
The Afghan Peace Talks started in September 2020, and with a second round having started in January it’s an interesting time to get an update on the process. PRIO Research Professor Kristian Berg Harpviken analyzes how the talks have gone thus far, and what can be expected moving forward.
On the morning of February 1, Myanmar awoke to a shock: the military had deposed the democratically elected party, the National League for Democracy. Leader Aung San Su Kyii is under arrest, and as citizens have taken to the streets and social media to express their emphatic dissent, police have begun ramping up the force used against protestors.
The country has a long and complicated history of protests, coups, and fights for control. To understand this latest development, three PRIO researchers. Marte Nilsen, Trude Stapnes, and Stein Tønnesson, share a multi-faceted look at the situation.
Listen to the full protest song "Kabar Ma Kyay Bu" by Naing Myanmar here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dsrm2DpoJwo
How did Hong Kong citizens wake up to the news of mass arrests on January 6, after such a long and engaging mass movement? Why wasn't that overwhelming support for democracy enough, and what will happen now? Marianne Dahl and Haakon Gjerløw have researched mass movements, autocracies, and democratization; they break down how the Hong Kong protests started, why it culminated in January 6, and what may be next.
To read more about mass movements around the world visit: https://blogs.prio.org/2020/01/the-rise-and-fall-of-the-twitter-revolution/
The Nordic countries, and especially Scandinavia – Norway, Sweden, and Denmark – are often viewed as relatively similar, with robust welfare states, high standards of living, gender equality, and of course beautiful nature. But the coronavirus pandemic has revealed how different they really are. Therese Sefton from PRIO and Amy Clotworthy from the Center for Healthy Aging at the University of Copenhagen have started to analyze what has happened over the last year, and share some of their impressions of how and why the countries' approaches have differed.
In his essay "Technologies as Forms of Life", Langdon Winner writes about "technological sonambulism", the idea that people's ability to consider technology's effects is much slower than the pace of technological development and implementation. Researcher Bruno Oliveira Martins and Research Assistant Neven Ahmad say the COVID-19 pandemic is exacerbating that problem — but there's still time to fix it.
Was it the "last, horrible and violent, dying gasp of an old, white supremacist racial order in the US", or the death of democracy? Håvard Nygård was shocked and horrified on January 6, but he says that as a researcher he still has hope. That day a mob stormed the US Capitol just as Congress was formalizing Biden's presidential victory. Sirianne Dahlum (PRIO, UiO) and Håvard Nygård (PRIO) bring their expertise to a discussion of what this attack means for the US, and how we can define and interpret it (what is a coup anyway?).
Related material* Omar Wassow's Twitter thread referred to by Håvard
November 4 marks the anniversary of the start of the Iranian hostage crisis. You might have learned about it as a major breakdown in the Iran-US relationship that persists today, or maybe you just watched Argo. Jørgen Jensehaugen highlights a different angle though in his article "A Palestinian window of opportunity? The PLO, the US and the Iranian hostage crisis". This aspect of the crisis has rarely been discussed, but can tell us a lot about the political dynamics at the time, and how those ripple effects are still being felt.
If you’re over 18, it’s possible you’ve never touched TikTok. But this innocuous-seeming repository of amusing video has increasingly helped shape popular culture, as well as Chinese international relations. Senior Researcher Ilaria Carozza walks us through why it's important, and what else Chinese companies have been in hot water for lately.
The USA-based Black Lives Matter (BLM) protests which gained new momentum this spring and summer have sparked fervent discussions and mass demonstrations around the world. In this episode, researchers Christian Davenport (PRIO, University of Michigan) and Scott Gates (PRIO, University of Oslo) talk about their perspectives on state violence related to BLM, personal experiences as Americans, and the research that can shed some light on what is happening.
Christian's book talked about in the beginning of this episode is "Media Bias, Perspective, and State Repression: The Black Panther Party". He will release a new book on state repression this fall. This episode was also informed by the Washington Post article "It’s hard to hear ‘Minnesota Nice’ without undertones of irony and despair" by Michele L. Norris. Visit prio.org to find more related research.
Drones seem to be everywhere in the news, but what do they actually mean for civilians in everyday life? And how do the military and police use and relate to them both as tools and as threats? Most importantly, what can they tell us about a wider security context? In this episode, Bruno Oliveira Martins and Andrea Silkoset also discuss how coronavirus has affected civilians lives from a security context, a surveillance context, and a technology context.
Side note: You can expect more research on this topic from Bruno with his newly-funded project RegulAIR: The integration of drones in the Norwegian and European Airspaces.
On the occasion of the Nobel Peace Prize being awarded on December 10th, we're reposting our episode from the day it was announced.
This year's Nobel Peace Prize went to the World Food Programme, recognizing a basic human need and its role in war and peace. But what exactly is the link between food and conflict, and is this prize as uncontroversial as it may seem? Three PRIO experts on food insecurity, humanitarian aid, and international cooperation weigh in.
Have humans evolved psychological adaptations to war? That's what Henrikas Bartusevičius will look at in his cutting-edge research project "Adapted to War", funded by the European Research Council and hosted at PRIO.
To answer this question, he’ll have to work across disciplines, conducting lab experiments and surveys. We discuss how he became interested in this topic, and what it could mean for how we understand human behavior.
How do individual deeds, in times of radical uncertainty and flux, inspire collective action? That's what PRIO's TRANSFORM project wants to find out.
One of the cases TRANSFORM looks at is Myanmar. During fieldwork, an artist was brought along to talk with Daw Bawk Ja Lum Nyoi, a Kachin land rights activist from Northern Myanmar. That conversation and fieldwork was turned into a short animation. In this episode, Indigo interviews both the researcher and the artist to understand their process and unique experience together.
On November 9, Norwegian researchers and politicians came together to celebrate UN Security Council Resolution 1325. They also discussed the way forward, especially in light of Norway’s position on the security council starting January 2021.
We're spotlighting the final session from that day: a conversation between Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs Ine Eriksen Søreide, and former Deputy Prime Minister of Sweden and Minister for Nordic Cooperation Margot Wallström. Joining them were PRIOites Torunn Tryggestad and Louise Olsson.
When Sweden was on the UN Security Council, it managed to push forward a women, peace and security agenda. That's a big part of what PRIO Senior Researcher and Gender Research Group Coordinator Louise Olsson has spent the last few years looking at. Now, Norway is poised to start its turn on the UNSC. What can small states like these accomplish, especially when it comes to women's rights?
If you haven't yet listened to episodes 10 and 11, you might want to check out those first before coming back to this one, since they give a good background to the UN and Resolution 1325.
November 16–20 PRIO will co-organize Afghanistan Week alongside the Norwegian Afghanistan Committee, Chr. Michelsen Institute, and the Nansen Center for Peace and Dialogue. Ahead of those events featuring many speakers from Afghanistan and around the world, we get a short intro about what the last 20 years have meant for women in Afghanistan, how women are involved in the peace talks today, and whether it is feasible there will be a peace agreement that doesn't diminish women's rights.
FYI, the Afghanistan week will be livestreamed and can thus be attended from wherever. We'll hear from politicians, journalists, academics, and activists from Afghanistan, Norway and beyond. Check the event web pages for more information.
US foreign policy expert Hilde Restad joins Scott Gates to discuss the Biden administration. Will he follow in Obama's footsteps? Will we see a flurry of executive orders? And what does "America First" really mean? All this and more on our post-election episode.
November 4 marks the anniversary of the start of the Iranian hostage crisis. You might have learned about it as a major breakdown in the Iran-US relationship that persists today, or maybe you just watched Argo. Jørgen Jensehaugen highlights a different angle though in his article "A Palestinian window of opportunity? The PLO, the US and the Iranian hostage crisis". This aspect of the crisis has rarely been discussed, but can tell us a lot about the political dynamics at the time, and how those ripple effects are still being felt.
Nigeria has dominated headlines recently for the #endSARS campaign led by young people protesting years of state violence. But West African countries like Guinea and Ivory Coast, amongst others, are also experiencing turmoil, not least related to elections. Where might all of this lead in the long term, and how could it destabilize or shift the region? Plus, where does coronavirus fit in?
Major General Kristin Lund was the first female force commander in a United Nations peacekeeping operation. She says at that point though, she was used to being the sole female perspective in military settings. As PRIO's Practitioner in Residence, Kristin brings her on-the-ground expertise and applies it to policy and practice. Join us for the second podcast in our 1325 series, celebrating 20 years of women, peace and security, as we discuss her career and the roles of women in conflict zones.
In 2000, the UN Security Council adopted resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security. Never heard of it? This resolution paved the way for women to participate in peace processes, for countries to adopt "feminist" foreign policy, and for academia to take more seriously issues like sexual violence in conflict. PRIO Deputy Director Torunn Tryggestad explains how far we've come, and how far we still have to go.
This year's Nobel Peace Prize went to the World Food Programme, recognizing a basic human need and its role in war and peace. But what exactly is the link between food and conflict, and is this prize as uncontroversial as it may seem? Three PRIO experts on food insecurity, humanitarian aid, and international cooperation weigh in.
We'll be back tomorrow with immediate reactions from experts on the Nobel Peace Prize winner.
If you’re over 18, it’s possible you’ve never touched TikTok. But this innocuous-seeming repository of amusing video has increasingly helped shape popular culture, as well as Chinese international relations. Senior Researcher Ilaria Carozza walks us through why it's important, and what else Chinese companies have been in hot water for lately.
Who is worthy of the Nobel Peace Prize? Every year the PRIO Director chooses a shortlist of candidates they think are deserving, and this year Director Henrik Urdal is highlighting his picks. Plus, he explains why there's no way Trump is winning, and why Black Lives Matter-related organizations could be up for it — next year.
We'll be back on Monday with PRIO Director Henrik Urdal's Nobel Peace Prize shortlist.
While you wait, here is an overview of all Nobel Peace Prize related items on the PRIO website.
Marie Sandnes is a doctoral researcher at PRIO researching the G5 Sahel joint force and counterinsurgency in Mali. Her research requires interviewing relevant actors, often members of the military, and because she focuses on Mali, her fieldwork is heavily based there. In this episode she talks about the pros and cons of being a woman in a male-dominated military research area, the first aid training she went through, and what she loves about being in the field.
Politician and activist Alexei Navalny was poisoned with Novichok in August. Now that incident is having regional ripple effects. Pavel Baev is a research professor at PRIO; His work focuses on Russian military reform, energy interests in Russia’s foreign and security policy, and Russia’s relations with Europe and NATO. Given his professional and personal relationship to the country, I asked him to walk us through what this latest poisoning could do to Russia's relations with its allies and neighbors.
How does migration affect social class? Marta Bivand Erdal wants to find out. She's just been awarded a prestigious European Research Council grant to look families in four cities in Asia, to try to find out how migration has (or has not) changed their fortunes. Marta and Indigo talk pop culture migration narratives like Crazy Rich Asians, about language barriers in fieldwork, and how the Eurovision movie might be relevant to Marta's interests.
Marta will be hiring two post-docs for her project in 2021–22. If you want to learn more, please visit the Migration Rhytyhms project webpage.
PRIO researcher Júlia Palik recently defended her PhD "Interstate rivals’ intervention in third-party civil wars: The comparative case of Saudi Arabia and Iran in Yemen (2004-2018)" from Corvinus University of Budapest. While writing it, she was also working at PRIO. We spoke about some of the challenges she faced with her research, her reflections on being an expert from outside a region, and what tips she has for current and future PhD candidates.
The USA-based Black Lives Matter (BLM) protests which gained new momentum this spring and summer have sparked fervent discussions and mass demonstrations around the world. In this episode, researchers Christian Davenport (PRIO, University of Michigan) and Scott Gates (PRIO, University of Oslo) talk about their perspectives on state violence related to BLM, personal experiences as Americans, and the research that can shed some light on what is happening.
Related material Christian's book talked about in the beginning of this episode is Media Bias, Perspective, and State Repression: The Black Panther Party*. He will release a new book on state repression fall 2020. * This episode was also informed by the Washington Post article "It’s hard to hear ‘Minnesota Nice’ without undertones of irony and despair" by Michele L. Norris. * Visit the PRIO Blog for an overview of racism related research at PRIO at time of publishing (October 2020).
Summer 2020 has shown that Israel is serious about annexing the West Bank. It's a choice that would have major implications for Palestinians, but also for the relationship between Israel and its allies. Jørgen Jensehaugen talks about the historical context of those recent developments, and what the future might hold. Jørgen's book is "Arab-Israeli Diplomacy under Carter: The U.S., Israel and the Palestinians".
How can we explain peace and conflict in the world? What causes or prolongs war? How do different kinds of violence affect people, and how do societies tackle crises – and the threat of crisis? Peace in a Pod brings you expert opinions on the headlines, personal stories from the field, and cutting-edge research in this biweekly podcast.