Comment archive
Displaying 20 comments posted in 2026
March 2026
Peace with an entry fee: Trump’s Board of Peace as a blueprint for ending wars
Talk of peace and war has been prevalent of late. In the last few weeks, President Trump’s Board of Peace met for the first time, tasked with securing peace amidst ongoing violence in Gaza.
Moscow calculates benefits of Gulf conflict, coming short
As the aerial conflict in the Persian Gulf moves into week three, assessments generally assume Russia is a key beneficiary.
Rights and duties in the Norwegian welfare state
How do we think about the balance of duties and rights in the welfare state: and specifically in the Norwegian welfare state?
Russia expects Iran to endure U.S.–Israeli strikes
The shock in Moscow from the February 28 launch of ongoing U.S.–Israeli strikes on Iran has eased, and extensive Russian commentary has shifted to asserting that superior air power alone cannot guarantee a meaningful victory.
Wellbeing of women goes hand in hand with wellbeing of nations
In 2024, 676 million women lived in proximity to conflict, that is almost every 6th woman in the world — the highest number and proportion ever recorded.
The wars of misconstrued opportunities and bad choices
Trump’s assertion of an “imminent threat” from Iran is no more convincing than President Vladimir Putin’s perennial claim that he had no other choice but to invade Ukraine.
Russia struggles to find a response to U.S.–Israel attack on Iran
The U.S.–Israeli airstrikes against Iran that began on February 28 shocked Moscow.
February 2026
What problems are third‑country asylum centres intended to solve?
The EU is considering moving parts of asylum processing out of Europe, and several countries are pushing for third-country solutions.
Kremlin struggles to project global relevance amid peace talks
Vladimir Putin may persist with his “military victory” war plan, but he also wants to keep the diplomatic attention of U.S. President Donald Trump, who wants to bring the war against Ukraine to an end.
Russia’s hope for trans-atlantic rift at MSC disappointed
Russia hopes to drive a wedge between the United States and Europe through hybrid attacks and nuclear brinkmanship to increase its chances of prevailing against Ukraine.
Trump’s attention-grabbing tactics
With a keystroke, the Trump administration shifted the world’s attention onto something that didn’t happen. At the same time, the most serious abuses happened absent our attention.
Naming the moment without despair: Women mediators in a shifting global order
Women mediators are not guests in the future order – they are architects.
Russian hybrid warfare backfiring
Russian provocations, from cutting cables on the seabed to drone incursions into the European Union, are recognized as a major challenge to transatlantic security.
Lamentations for the New START Treaty are immaterial
The sum total of shortcomings has not only made the New START Treaty irrelevant but also turned it into a false promise.
‘Energy truce’ could be preamble to Ukraine peace deal
In the January 30 “energy truce” Russia and Ukraine agreed to halt strikes on energy infrastructure until at least February 1.
Venezuela: Bombs and sanctions – the humanitarian consequences
It is high time for the international and Norwegian media to focus on the humanitarian consequences of the U.S attack and sanctions on Venezuela, and on Machado’s shared responsibility for them.
January 2026
The repercussions of the Syrian government offensive against the Kurds
Syria is balancing on a knife’s edge, and the question of how the country’s minorities are treated is a key piece of the puzzle.
Putin’s irrelevance at Davos Forum is irreversible
The agenda of the World Economic Forum (WEF), in Davos, Switzerland on January 19–23, is extensive. The absence of official Russian participants appears politically motivated.
Putin stalling ninety percent complete peace deal
The recent surge in diplomatic activity intended to draft an agreement to end Moscow’s war against Ukraine has yielded U.S. and Ukrainian assertions that the deal is 90 percent ready.
Assad’s fall gave hope, but the future hangs by a thin thread
Just over a year has passed since Assad’s brutal dictatorship fell and millions of Syrians regained hope. But with faltering support for refugees and reconstruction, and fears of new conflicts, hope is wearing thin.
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