Leveraging protracted refugee situations in the Middle East
The Syrian civil war produced one of the world’s largest refugee crises, with Turkey and Lebanon hosting millions of people for over a decade. While refugees are often portrayed as a burden, host states also use large refugee populations to negotiate economic and political support from international donors such as the EU.
Led by PRIO Research Professor Jørgen Jensehaugen, the project “Leveraging protracted refugee situations: comparing how Lebanon and Turkey have responded to Syrian displacement,” investigates how Lebanon and Turkey have leveraged the Syrian refugee question in their donor engagement, and how these strategies have shifted amid declining aid and renewed pressure for return following the fall of the Assad regime.
This project has been awarded funding from the Research Council of Norway.
Examining resilience and rupture in Nordic security cooperation
The NordForsk-funded project “Resilience or rupture? the Nordic security community in an age of antagonistic threats” is led by Professor Mark Rhinard at Stockholm University, with partners from across the Nordic region. PRIO Senior Researcher Stine Bergersen will lead PRIO’s contribution, focusing on how Nordic security actors interpret and respond to disinformation threats, and how cohesion is sustained – or challenged – within the security community.
On receiving the new project funding, PRIO’s Director Nina Græger said, “these awards underscore PRIO’s strong expertise and our commitment to addressing today’s key security and humanitarian challenges."
Both projects will begin in 2026, with updates will be shared on PRIO’s website as the research develops.
