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...
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.
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.
Journal Article
Costly Concessions: Insights From 78 Disarmament, Demobilization, and Reintegration (DDR) Provisions in Peace Agreements
Journal article in Global Policy
Policy Brief
Beyond a Comprehensive Settlement in Cyprus: CBMs and the Reinstatement of Maronite and Buffer Zone Villages
PRIO Cyprus Centre Policy Brief
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?
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.
Friday, 23 May 2025
Near Gender Parity in Norwegian Academia - Professorships the Final Frontier
A new analysis of gender trends in Norwegian academia shows that gender balance has been largely achieved among researchers, with professorships now the final step toward parity.
Policy Brief
Ethical Questions in Peace Negotiations: A Guide
PRIO Policy Brief
Friday, 9 May 2025
In Times of Rising Conflict, UN Seminar Showcases Inclusive Approaches to Peace Mediation
Mediators, peacebuilders and policymakers gathered in Porvoo, Finland for the 14th UN High-Level Seminar on Gender and Inclusive Mediation Strategies.
Why Would Humans Do Anything Boring, Difficult or Dangerous in Star Wars? Science Fiction’s Reluctance to Embrace Its Own Technology.
This blog post contains spoilers for the first series in Andor, and other science fiction shows.
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.
The Hype, Delusions and Risks of the Arctic Geopolitics
The surge of political attention to the Arctic may appear counter-intuitive to the experts overtaxed with assessing the consequences of the global trade war, perplexed by the deadlock of the Ukraine War, and frustrated by the deepening indifferenc...
Thursday, 3 Apr 2025
Global Gatherings on AI Weapons and Satellite Imagery: PRIO at UN Forums
PRIO’s engagement with issues around the use of AI was in full display last week, when PRIO researchers joined key UN discussions in Geneva on AI-enabled weapons and satellite technology, contributing expertise on security, ethics and strategic po...
Journal Article
Do we need more or less focus on “class” in migration research?
Journal article in International Migration
American Democracy is in Danger, but Not Dead
Trump and his supporters are undermining American democracy, posing a real threat of democratic breakdown. The consequences would be dramatic, extending far beyond the United States. However, there is still a good chance that democracy, in the end...
Russia Refuses to Make Meaningful Step on Road to Peace
U.S., European, and Ukrainian peace-making policies are now aligned at a possible breakthrough point, as differences in means and methods transmute into complementarities. This fast evolution starkly contrasts with the immobility of Russia’s posit...
Wednesday, 26 Feb 2025
New Results from Prediction Challenge That Seeks to Improve Conflict Forecasting
The 2023/24 VIEWS Prediction Challenge invites researchers to forecast conflict intensity as a probability distribution, fully accounting for uncertainty to improve decision-making and crisis preparedness.
Popular Article
Triumphalism in Moscow about setback in peace-making for Ukraine could be short-lived
Popular article in Eurasia Daily Monitor
Moscow Changes War Rhetoric but Stays War Course
The whirlwind of U.S.-initiated diplomatic activity in the last two weeks has compelled the Kremlin to alter the tone of its messaging on confrontation with the West and even the substance of its far-reaching propaganda campaign. The cliché of “An...
Triumphalism in Moscow About Setback in Peace-Making for Ukraine Could be Short-Lived
Moscow’s mouthpieces competed to celebrate and ridicule the individuals involved in the February 28 talks in Washington, D.C. between Ukraine and the United States. To the surprise of many, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy left the White Ho...
How Colombia’s Disarmament Process Transformed Weapons Into Symbols of Peace
In 2016, the Colombian government and the guerrilla group FARC-EP ended their five decade-long war. As part of the peace agreement, FARC-EP’s weapons had to be collected, a process known as disarmament. By 2017, UN observers had received and remov...
Moscow Seeks to Regain Initiative in the Game of Peace Talks
Jubilation in Moscow after the phone conversation between Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump on February 12 has given way to contemplations of the consequences and even to confusion caused by the barrage of statements...
Wednesday, 5 Feb 2025
Nina Græger Appointed as New Director of PRIO
PRIO is pleased to announce the appointment of Nina Græger as its next Director, effective 1 July 2025.
Wednesday, 12 Feb 2025
JPR Journal Article of the Year 2024 Awarded to Melanie Sauter
Melanie Sauter has been awarded the Nils Petter Gleditsch Article of the Year Award for her journal article entitled ‘Politicized health emergencies and violent resistance against healthcare responders.’
Security Dialogue
Poison: The politics behind pesticides and chemical weapons
Compounds labelled as chemical weapons and pesticides share common active chemical ingredients, which function as nerve agents to humans and insects whether they are considered a form of warfare or a farming staple. Lice: Image from Pixabay Why ar...
Journal Article
Disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration in peace agreements (1975–2021): Introducing the DDR dataset
Journal article in Journal of Peace Research
Trump Vol. 2 Will Impact Global Development
The United States is by far the world’s largest provider of foreign aid, but it is completely unclear whether and how this will continue. Trump speaks of quickly achieving peace but at the same time he threatens neighboring countries. One thing is...
Conversations on Ending the War in Ukraine Grow Louder and Emptier
The first week of the “Golden Age” of U.S. policy announced by President Donald Trump registered a stream of messages from the White House on the need to bring the war in Ukraine to an end (White House, January 20). The Kremlin duly responded with...
Security Dialogue
Migrant deaths in the name of law
Image byJim BlackfromPixabay In international political sociology, a variety of scholars following Agamben and the so-called state of exception emphasize the routes of violence against migrants in the light of their privation of rights or “suspend...