The organization of violent force is a phenomenon which takes many forms. A focus on political allegiance (e.g. “state” and “non-state”) has masked shared traits between disparate organizations such as: government armies, police forces, militias, vigilantes, rebels, political extremist groups and criminal networks. These have more in common than official political discourse allows. When identifying and analysing similarity and variation among these organizations, rather than sorting violent organizations by their putative political allegiance (or lack of such), research within this group is structured around fundamental organizational traits. These include: how members are recruited, trained, placed within an organizational framework, managed and held accountable according to a set of shared norms and laws. But, also, strategic choices and modus operandi in relation to the use of violence; the dynamic between various groups and organizations (violent or not); how violent organizations are used in the pursuit of political and economic goals.
The Sahel region is increasingly affected by transnational security threats which spill across national borders, such as insurgency, terror attacks, uncontrolled migration and illicit trafficking in commodities. A key reason for the persistence of those threats is the poor performance of the region’s security forces.
December 5-7, PRIO hosted a workshop titled ‘Security Force Assistance in Fragile States’. Involving 30 leading academics and practitioners from around the world, the workshop provided fruitful and stimulating discussions and will stimulate future research agendas.
As part of the workshop, PRIO arranged an open seminar at Litteraturhuset on Wednesday 5 December titled ‘Military Capacity Building as a “One Size Fits All” Solution to Norway and NATO’s Security Challenges in Fragile States’. The seminar was chaired by PRIO senior researcher Øystein H. Rolandsen, and the panel consisted of: Michael Miklaucic, of the US National Defense University and editor of PRISM journal; Ruth Hanau Santini professor at the Università Orientale (Naples); Emily Knowles, director of the Remote Warfare Programme at the Oxford Research Group; and PRIO research professor Kristian Berg Harpviken. Henrik Urdal opened the seminar and welcomed the audience and participants.
Marianne Dahl successfully defended her doctoral thesis today, 30 March, at the Faculty of Social and Educational Sciences - NTNU. The title of her thesis is "Pockets of Opportunity: State Dissident Interactions and Regime Change".
Her trial lecture: "What role does social mobilisation play for regime stability and transition, particularly considering the broader social mobilisation literature?"
Gleditsch becomes the first Norwegian to receive the Anne-Lise Meier Forschungspreis from the Alexander Humboldt Foundation.
On 14 February, the population of Nigeria, Africa’s largest democracy, were supposed to go to the polls to elect a new president. This election might have proven a watershed in Nigerian history. The security problems in the north-east of the country have made the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) postpone the election until 28 March. This may prove an effective barrier for the opposition, and increase the risk of an explosion of violence both before and during the election.
Marc-Antoine Pérouse de Montclos, specialist on Nigeria, and PRIO Global Fellow, analyses the multiplication and intensification of the Islamist group Boko Haram's deadly attacks at the outset of this year in an interview for Libération by Jean-Louis le Touzet.
Kristian Skrede Gleditsch is one out of 9 scientists with affiliation to Norwegian institutions who is included in the new list compiled by Thomson Reuters, and is also the only UK-based political scientist to be included in this prestigious international list of the most highly cited researchers in recent years. Kristian has his main position as Professor at the Department of Government at the University of Essex, and holds a 20 % position at PRIO.
Today, Erica Chenoweth is awarded the Karl Deutsch Award by the International Studies Association. The award was established in 1981 to recognize scholars in IR under age 40, or within ten years of defending their dissertation, and is presented annually to a scholar who is judged to have made (through a body of publications) the most significant contribution to the study of International Relations and Peace Research.
Journal Article in Canadian Journal of African Studies
Popular Article in Corriere dell'Italianità
Journal Article in Security Dialogue
Conflict Trends
Journal Article in The Middle East Journal
PRIO Project Summary
Book Chapter in Fremmedkrigere: forebygging, straffeforfølging og rehabilitering i Skandinavia
Conference Paper
Book Chapter in Arms brokering in Southern Africa
Book Chapter in Arms brokering in Southern Africa
Øystein H. Rolandsen
Research Professor