The World Stage

What does resilience against radicalisation and violent extremism look like in Mali and the Sahel? And which drivers are present for the spread of extremism?In this episode of the NUPI podcast The World Stage, Abdoul Wakhab Cissé (ARGA) and Morten Bøås (NUPI) are sitting at the bed of the river Niger. This mighty waterway floats from the high plains of Guinea through Mali and Niger before it makes its way to the Atlantic Ocean through Nigeria. They are discussing the manifestation of violent extremism in Mali and neighbouring Sahel countries like Niger and Burkina Faso.This podcast episode is part of the EU-funded PREVEX project that aims to understand drivers of violent extremism and how local communities respond and resist through various ways of expressing resilience. PREVEX is funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 programme under grant agreement No 870724. Read more about the project here: https://www.prevex-balkan-mena.eu/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After Vladimir Putin’s announcement of the partial mobilization of the war in Ukraine in September, people, and in particular women, took to the streets in several of the republics in the North Caucasus. They protested this mobilization, saying that this war was one they couldn’t agree sending their sons into.  Even if these demonstrations on an international scale were quite small, and that they ended almost as quickly as they emerged, the protests can be seen as a sign of an increasing discontent with the center of power in Moscow. In this episode of the NUPI Podcast The World Stage, Badri Belkania explains why the protests in Chechnya and Dagestan are important, what they are a sign of and what they could turn into. Host for this episode is Marie Furhovden. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

De facto states - states that have failed to win international recognition - have long been understudied 'blank spots,' overlooked in academic literature and on maps. However, they play critical and contentious roles in international politics: Since the end of the Cold War, de facto states have been involved in a disproportionately large number of violent conflicts, resulting in their establishment, change of status, or elimination.In this episode of the NUPI podcast 'The World Stage', we turn our attention to Abkhazia, a de facto state in Southern Caucasus at the eastern coast of the Black Sea, and focus on its efforts to secure diplomatic ties in the post-Soviet space and beyond, as well as its relationship with its patron state, Russia. Episode host is Tamta Gelashvili (NUPI and University of Oslo). Guests are Donnacha Ó Beacháin (Professor at the School of Law and Government, Dublin City University) and Pål Kolstø (Professor at the Department of Literature, Area Studies and European Languages at the University of Oslo). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this podcast episode we take a closer look on how the EU will handle a new migration crisis. A new wave of mass migration to Europe might be building up according to several indicators. Is the EU better prepared now than during the refugee crisis in 2015? Or could this looming crisis be a new threat to the EU that will come on top of the war in Europe? How will that affect the European unity that we have been witnessing faced with the war in Ukraine?Listen in as Research Professor Pernille Rieker from NUPI interviews Professor Christian Kaunert from Dublin City University and University of South Wales. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this podcast episode we’ll take a closer look at the relationship between the different ethnic groups in Mostar after the Balkan wars. What influences the resilience of different population groups to radicalization and violent extremism? One of the case study areas in the EU-funded PREVEX project is the Balkans. In this episode of the NUPI podcast The World Stage, we are zooming in on Mostar in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The famous bridge in Mostar represents a symbolic background for the social fabric that has suffered from the war in the 1990’ies. In 1993 the bridge was destroyed in the civil war that raged in the former Yugoslavia. On one side of the bridge, the Bosniak community was predominant, on the other side, the majority were Croats. The bridge was later rebuilt, but how are the relations between people in Bosnia and Herzegovina and in Mostar today, nearly three decades after the war ended? Do people from the different ethnic groups mix, socially, at school or at work? How is this different from before the war? What are the lessons to be learnt and what are the main challenges today? And with the recent general elections in the country, is there any hope for change? Listen in as Senior Research Fellow at NUPI, Kari Osland, discusses this with Professor Edina Becirevic (Security Studies at UNSA and co-founder of Atlantic Initiative) and politician Lana Prlic (Representative in the Parliament of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Vice President for SDP BiH). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How important are traditional values for Putin’s support? How are they related to the war in Ukraine? And what does the future look like for the Putin regime? In the last decade, Russian authorities have adopted a strongly antiliberal rhetoric with attacks on Western secularism, multiculturalism, and alleged moral decay. This rhetoric has been followed up with new laws against blasphemy and “propaganda of non-traditional sexual orientations among minors”, decriminalization of wife battery, etc. In this episode of The World Stage, Tora Berge Naterstad discusses findings from the project “Value-based regime legitimation in Russia” (LegitRuss) with Professor Henry Hale. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why are some communities more likely to experience violent extremism than others? And why do most people living in enabling environments stay clear of radicalization?These are two of the core questions of the NUPI led EU project PREVEX that is now in its third year of research. In this episode of The World Stage, Marie Furhovden has invited three of the researchers involved in this project; Diana Mishkova, Luca Raineri and Stéphane Lacroix to give a run through of the findings in the project so far. Towards the end, Steven Blockmans is giving his view on what the research from this project can be utilized in the EU. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Has Russia's invation of Ukraine pushed the UN Security Council to the brink of existential crisis?As one of the veto powers, Russia is blocking all resolutions on Ukraine. And from the looks of it, the Security Council is paralyzed on an international crisis of historical dimentions. But is this really the case? Therese Leine, senior communications advisor, and Dr. Niels Nagelhus Schia, senior research fellow and social antropoligist, from The Norwegian Institute of International Affairs, visited the UN to find out. The guest in this episode of The World Stage is Sergiy Kyslytsya, Ukraine's ambassador to the UN. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On the 21 of March 2022, the Council of the EU adopted a Strategic Compass, a roadmap for the EU to become a stronger security and defense actor. But what does this really mean, and does it change the EUs role as a security actor in any significant way?Guest in this episode of The World Stage is Steven Blockmans, Research Director at CEPS and Professor at Amsterdam University. Host for this episode is Pernille Rieker, Research Professor and coordinator for the NUPI Center for European studies. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The eyes of the world are now pointed towards the horrible war in Ukraine. But right on the other side of the border, a concerning trend has been taking place for some time already. The Russian governments’ grip on freedom of speech is tightening, day by day, restricting the everyday activities and professional life of Russian citizens. What does this mean for Russian academics? And is the latest development essentially the end of academic freedom in Russia? This episode was recorded on 6 April 2022. Participants are Julie Wilhelmsen (NUPI), Aude Merlin (l'Université libre de Bruxelles) and Mark Youngman (University of Portsmouth). Host is Marie Furhovden (NUPI). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.