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.
PRIO Paper
Conflict Trends: A Global Overview, 1946–2024
PRIO Paper
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
The Complex Risk Analytics Fund supports new project on Women’s Empowerment in War and Peace: EMPOW
EMPOW is a two-year initiative designed to provide novel open access data on women's mobilization for peace and gender equality reforms in the wake of war.
National Security and Defense Research: The Imperative of Academic Freedom and Open Debate
What kind of peace and security is to be established, nourished and preserved through the collaborative efforts to support and develop the Norwegian military?
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.
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.
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
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...
There’s a Path Forward for Turkey-Greece Cooperation — but It Requires a Dose of Realism
In the Eastern Mediterranean, tensions are largely the norm rather than the exception. Greece and Turkey, two stable states and NATO allies, enjoy largely peaceful unneighborly relations, despite occasional tension between them.
Monday, 10 Mar 2025
Norwegian research foundations develop new technology for studying war crimes against Ukraine
PRIO and NORSAR, both Norway-based research foundations, today announced a joint effort to use cutting-edge sensor technology for uncovering and analysing war crimes in Ukraine.
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
Trump's logic of deal-making versus Putin's logic of war-making
Popular article in Panorama UIK
Trump’s Logic of Deal-Making Versus Putin’s Logic of War-Making
As the Ukraine War approaches the grim mark of three years, it appears both ripe for an armistice and impossible to bring to an end. For US President Donald Trump, this war is a senseless waste of people and resources, which should be stopped imme...
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.
Tuesday, 28 Jan 2025
PRIO Director's 2025 Nobel Peace Prize List
The Director of PRIO, Henrik Urdal, announced his list today for the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize, with Sudan's Emergency Response Rooms topping the list.
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...
Wednesday, 22 Jan 2025
New Study Reveals Human Impact of UNRWA Ban: Lifelines to Millions at Risk
New report outlines the on-the-ground consequences of Israel’s ban on UNRWA which comes into effect next week.
Greenland Is Not for Sale
President Donald Trump has provoked strong reactions with his proposition to buy Greenland, not the least because the right to self-determination is a fundamental principle in international law, allowing peoples to freely determine their political...
Monday, 6 Jan 2025
Apply now: PRIO Peace Research Course at the International Summer School
The PRIO Peace Research Course at the International Summer School is now opening for students to apply for places for the 2025 programme.
An Untested Refugee Theory
From late January 2025, the Israeli ban on the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) will come into effect. What does this mean for the rights of the Palestinian refugees, and who will then take responsibility for h...
We Need to Talk About Children Born of War
Every day, children are born in war and armed conflict, in Ukraine, on the Gaza Strip, in South Sudan, in Myanmar and elsewhere. Some of these children might have parents who are enemies, that is, parents who are on opposite sides of the conflict....
Report – External Series
Snapshot of Migration to and from Egypt in the Last Five Years
FES briefing
Authorship and Involuntary Attribution: How and Why Should We Contest AI Manipulation?
Technology is radically changing the work and role of scholars and the function of academic publishing. Fake and fabricated content (data, facts, arguments, claims, conclusions) undermines the foundations of knowledge in a democratic society. Faki...
Putin’s ‘Three Escalations’ Affect Prospect of Peace in Ukraine
Russia’s strategy in executing its aggressive war against Ukraine, passing the 1,000-day mark last week, puts the country’s economy, society, and armed forces under enormous pressure that Moscow’s militaristic propaganda cannot quite cover. As Rus...
Israel Has Escalated Its Shadow War Against UNRWA. What Happens Now?
On 4 November, the Israeli Foreign Ministry cancelled the agreement the country signed with UNRWA in 1967. A week earlier, the Knesset had passed legislation banning UNRWA from operating in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories. Why is I...
Policy Brief
Children Affected by Armed Conflict, 1990–2023
Conflict Trends
473 million Children Live in Conflict Zones
The world is suffering from escalating levels of conflict. The Civil war in Ethiopia’s Tigray region, the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and the bombing of Gaza have all significantly contributed to dramatic increase in battle deaths in recent years...
Unwinnable Wars, Risks of Escalation, and the Nuclear Taboo
The announcement of the Nobel Peace Prize on October 11 coincided with a dangerous phase in two long wars — Israel’s war against Hamas and Hezbollah and Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war on Ukraine — that are both poised for escalation. This ...