Moscow ponders reconfigured Middle East, finding few openings
The cessation of hostilities in the Gulf on 25 June was as surprising for Moscow as Israel’s strike on Iran on 13 June. Russia’s attempts to assess the consequences of the surge of the air war have to take into account apparent analytical miscalcu...
Thursday, 19 Jun 2025
PhD course on Conflict Trends
As part of the NORHED II project Partnership for Peace: Better Higher Education for Resilient Societies, PRIO hosted a PhD-level course Conflict Trends, 3-5 June. Siri Aas Rustad led the course.
Wednesday, 25 Jun 2025
Øyvind Østerud (1944–2025) in Memoriam
We are saddened by the passing of Øyvind Østerud (1944–2025), a towering figure in Norwegian political science.
Journal Article
Costly Concessions: Insights From 78 Disarmament, Demobilization, and Reintegration (DDR) Provisions in Peace Agreements
Journal article in Global Policy
How do women ambassadors reshape diplomacy at the UN Security Council?
On the occasion of the International Day of Women in Diplomacy, 24 June.
Preventive war is wrong: Why recent attacks on Iran fail an important moral test
Can there be just cause for purely preventive military action – action that aims to impede or destroy an adversary’s capacity to wreck future harm?
Commemorating the 25 June 2022 terror attack against Oslo Pride: a chronology
As a political event the June 25 attack is remembered both in the context of domestic terror attacks and in the context of terror attacks against queer communities globally.
Putin’s preemptive maneuvering around NATO summit is cut off
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, investors from most parts of the world have stopped coming to Russia, so the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum has turned into a show of fake innovation.
Tuesday, 17 Jun 2025
PRIO partners in major European Research Council project on the conduct of war
PRIO is proud to announce its partnership in a major new European Research Council-funded research initiative.
Journal Article
Scientific uptake in United Nations Security Council debates on climate change and security
Journal article in Climatic Change
Lawyers and the resilience of the liberal international order
In times of political crisis and attacks against the foundations of political liberalism, can we put our trust in lawyers and other legal occupations to fight for our freedoms, when they are under attack?
Russian retribution for daring Ukrainian strike is postponed. Perhaps indefinitely
The scale and character of Russian retaliation in the aftermath of the daring Ukrainian attack on four Russian aviation bases on June 1 have yet to be revealed.
Russia’s influence in Middle East takes hit from Israeli strikes
Israel’s decision to launch a series of missile and bomb strikes on Iran on June 13 was a shocking surprise for Moscow, where the working assumption had been centered on the presumably protracted U.S.-Iranian talks on the limitations of the nuclea...
Friday, 6 Jun 2025
PRIO Marks Leadership Transition with event on “Peace Under Pressure”
PRIO welcomed guests for a special event this week, marking the transition of leadership from outgoing Director Henrik Urdal to incoming Director Nina Græger.
Monday, 9 Jun 2025
New data shows conflict at historic high as U.S. signals retreat from world stage
The world is experiencing a surge in violence not seen since the post-World War II era. 2024 marked a grim new record: the highest number of state-based armed conflicts in over seven decades.
Popular Article
Russian retribution for daring Ukrainian strike is postponed, perhaps indefinitely
Popular article in Eurasia Daily Monitor
Russia’s maximalist demands undermine peace talks despite mounting domestic strains
The key goal of the most recent round of talks between Russia and Ukraine, held on Monday, June 2, in Istanbul, is supposed to be an exchange of memoranda on the conditions for ending the war.
Popular Article
Putin holds firm to war course, conjuring mirage of victory
Popular article in Eurasia Daily Monitor
Popular Article
"Reasonable Sufficiency" should guide Europe's search for nuclear deterrence
Popular article in Brookings Commentary
Putin holds firm to war course, conjuring mirage of victory
The fever of diplomatic battles around Russia’s war against Ukraine in the first three weeks of May has broken, leaving few meaningful results.
Putin Uses Victory Day Spectacle to Mask War Fatigue and Court Partners
The propaganda machine was switched to the maximum volume, turning the sombre memories of tragic battles and painful sacrifices into a celebration of militarism.
Hunger, Displacement, and Occupation in Gaza
Outside Gaza, aid convoys are lined up. Food. Water. Medicine. The trucks are not allowed into Gaza because Israel is using humanitarian aid as a political tool to force Hamas into submission.
Book Chapter
Women Ambassadors in the UN Security Council: Are They Shaping the Practice of Diplomacy?
Book chapter in Gender and Diplomacy: Critical Junctures, Innovations and Future Research Directions
Journal Article
The 2023/24 VIEWS Prediction challenge: Predicting the number of fatalities in armed conflict, with uncertainty
Journal article in Journal of Peace Research
Popular Article
Putin uses Victory Day spectacle to mask war fatigue and court partners
Popular article in Eurasia Daily Monitor
Tuesday, 29 Apr 2025
Oslo Conference to Mark 25 Years of UN Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security
PRIO’s Centre on Gender, Peace and Security is co-hosting a conference marking the 25th anniversary of UN Security Council Resolution 1325.
Journal Article
Coding as analytical process: From profound to productive uncertainty
Journal article in Area
Russia May be Switching Tactics From Sabotage of Peace Deal to Bargaining
On April 28, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a three-day ceasefire in his war against Ukraine in the lead-up to the commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the Second World War (President of Russia, April 28). The ceasefire is due to b...
Putin Weighs Risks of U.S. Readiness to Move on From Stalled Peace Efforts in Ukraine
The Kremlin has used delays and distractions to gain all the time and concessions available to it before seriously engaging in peace talks, or at least a genuine pause, in its war against Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin will soon be comp...
Popular Article
Decision point for Putin is set too close for his comfort
Popular article in Eurasia Daily Monitor