Suchergebnisse

The world as we have come to know it is changing. Some of the core principles of the rules-based liberal international order are being challenged. The established truths and practices that we have based our foreign policies on are put into question. How do Norwegians respond to these changes? What are their views of Norwegian foreign policy? Just before the Corona crisis hit Norway, NUPI conducted an opinion poll in the Norwegian population asking about foreign and security policy. The answers we got tell the story of a people adapting reluctantly to international change.Read the full report here. ; This report and the survey it presents is financed by the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung. ; publishedVersion

I anledning EØS-avtalens 25-årsjubileum gjennomførte NUPI og Sentio i januar 2019 en opinionsundersøkelse i den norske befolkningen for å kartlegge nordmenns holdninger til EØS-avtalen samt deres kunnskaper og vurderinger i tilknytning til avtalen og mulige alternativer til den. Resultatene fra undersøkelsen viser at det er stor støtte til EØS-avtalen i befolkningen. Samtidig viser den også at kunnskapsnivået om EØS-avtalen er lavt i hele befolkningen, men særlig blant de unge. Videre viser resultatene at dersom EØS-avtalen skulle opphøre, ville Norge neppe kunne forvente noen ny bred konsensus om en alternativ tilknytningsform. I dette bidraget går Svendsen, Sverdrup og Weltzien gjennom resultatene fra opinionsundersøkelsen og diskuterer hva de impliserer for norsk europapolitikk.
Abstract in English:Attitudes to the EEA Agreement After 25 Years: Considerable Support, Little KnowledgeOn the 25th anniversary of the EEA Agreement, NUPI and Sentio conducted a public opinion poll in January 2019 in the Norwegian population to survey Norwegians' attitudes to the EEA Agreement, as well as their knowledge and assessments of the agreement and possible alternatives to it. The results of the survey show that there is considerable support for the EEA agreement in the population. At the same time, it also shows that the level of knowledge about the EEA Agreement is low in the entire population, but especially among the youngest respondents. Furthermore, the results show that if the EEA Agreement were to cease to exist, Norway could hardly expect any new broad consensus on an alternative form of association. In this contribution, Svendsen, Sverdrup and Weltzien review the results of the opinion poll and discuss the results and what they imply for Norwegian European policy.

The brief examines how regional developments in Central/South Asia may affect the stabilization process in Afghanistan. Given that regional security dynamics played an important role in aggravating the conflict in Afghanistan in the 1990s, the report juxtaposes the situation in the 1990s with the present state of affairs. The brief argues that the regional dynamics in 2010 are very different from the 1990s and puts forward four arguments to that effect. First, the improved India- Pakistan relationship is crucial for regional stability. In assessing prospects for positive developments between India and Pakistan, it is necessary to factor in broader regional concerns, especially the now cordial, yet tense relations between the rising powers India and China. Second, with its new economic and political weight, the stage is set for China to take the role as regional hegemon in the wider Central/South Asia region, although it is uncertain if or when it will choose to enact this role. Third, regional energy projects might in the long-term increase cooperation and build confidence, but developments are slow. By contrast, improved transport networks and increased trade have positively affected the region. Fourth, Iran's nuclear program poses an indirect, but serious challenge to regional stability. Take together these four arguments highlight the increasing salience of India and China. Moreover, the brief illustrates how regional affairs in 2010 are a mix of inter-state rivalry and insecurity together with patterns of economic cooperation. The risk still exists that regional insecurities could aggravate the internal rivalries in Afghanistan and the regional environment certainly creates additional challenges to Afghanistan's stabilization process. However, the regional environment looks less prone to feed into and augment internal rivalries when compared with the 1990s.