The World Stage

NUPI
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What is happening in the world right now? In this podcast produced by the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI) we'll take a closer look at events taking place around the globe. Here you will find conversations, seminars and lectures on different international topics. We hope you'll learn something new! For our Norwegian-speaking audience, we also recommend our podcast series Utenrikshospitalet and Hvor hender det?. If you have any feedback or tips, please contact us on post@nupi.no Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  1. Navigating a Multiplex World Order

    21 HR AGO

    Navigating a Multiplex World Order

    Is the liberal international order coming to an end, and what follows the era of American hegemony? In this episode of The World Stage, Senior Research Fellow Wrenn Yennie Lindgren (NUPI) sits down with Manjeet Pardesi, Associate Professor of International Relations at Victoria University of Wellington, to explore the shifting foundations of global politics. Drawing on his award-winning book, Divergent Worlds, co-authored with Amitav Acharya, Pardesi introduces the concept of a "multiplex world order". Unlike traditional hegemonic or multipolar systems, a multiplex order is defined by its complexity, where non-great powers exercise significant agency and order is shaped by both material power and diverse ideas. The discussion delves into how history can provide a roadmap for our uncertain future. Pardesi contrasts the ancient Mediterranean, a paradigmatic case of hegemonic order under Rome, with the ancient Indian Ocean, which flourished as a non-hegemonic, pluralistic trading system. Key highlights of the episode include: The Rise of India: An analysis of India’s grand strategy, its "status anxiety" regarding China, and its quest to recover its historical standing as a global power.Southeast Asia as pluralistic order: Pardesi points to Southeast Asia as an example of a pluralistic regional order today, with no single center. As he states: "The region is a mix of democracies and non-democracies that engage with each other. It is a plural world that seems viable despite having no core".The Power of Small States: How countries like Norway and New Zealand can act as "connector states," spearheading high-quality trade agreements and navigating complex international identities.Variable Geometry: Understanding the "messiness" of modern international relations and why a decentered, pluralistic world might actually be a good thing. Join us for a deep dive into global history and contemporary geopolitics to understand how the world is being reshaped beyond the Western-dominated era. The World Stage is a global politics podcast from the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI). This episode is produced in collaboration with the Norwegian Center for Geopolitics. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    27 min
  2. Resilience, peacebuilding, and preventing violent extremism

    1 DAY AGO

    Resilience, peacebuilding, and preventing violent extremism

    What are the role of resilience and peacebuilding perspectives and approaches when it comes to preventing violent extremism? How can resilience and peace building help address the root causes of violent extremism? This is the topic for this episode of NUPI's The World Stage, and of a new book edited by this episode's guests; Ako Muto (JICA Ogata Sadako Research Institute for Peace and Development), Rui Saraiva (Miyazaki International University) and Cedric de Coning (NUPI). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    32 min

  3. 25 MAR

    European nuclear deterrence: The french initiative

    Join us for a conversation on European security in a time marked by war, nuclear threats, and growing strategic uncertainty. Against the backdrop of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and rising doubts about US security guarantees, Research Fellow Gine Lund Bolling (NUPI) examines Emmanuel Macron’s recent address on French nuclear policy. The French president’s remarks signal the most significant shift in the country’s nuclear posture in decades. In this episode of The World Stage, we explore what these changes to France’s nuclear strategy entail, and what implications they may have for European security. A central question is what it actually means for France to “build up” its nuclear arsenal: is it about numbers, capabilities, doctrine – or a combination of all three? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    36 min
  4. A region under pressure: Preventing climate change related conflict in the Lake Chad region

    19 MAR

    A region under pressure: Preventing climate change related conflict in the Lake Chad region

    How can we best prevent and manage climate-related insecurity in one of the world's most vulnerable regions? In this episode of the NUPI podcast The World Stage, Research Professor Cedric de Coning (NUPI) takes us into the heart of the Lake Chad region, and into a two-year research project examining how regional strategies are shaping peace and security. The guests in this podcast episode are Professor Freedom Onuoha (University of Nigeria, Nsukka), and Senior Research Fellow Thor Olav Iversen and Senior Research Fellow Andrew E. Yaw Tchie (both NUPI). The episode draws on findings from the project 'Managing Climate, Peace and Security Risks from the Borderlands of the Lake Chad (CPS-Lake Chad)', which investigates the role of the Regional Strategy for Stabilization, Resilience and Recovery (RS-SRR) in addressing climate-related conflict risks. The project is funded by the UK's Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) through the Cross-Border Conflict Evidence Policy and Trends research fund (XCEPT). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    46 min
  5. Is U.S. foreign policy now "open for business"?

    11 MAR

    Is U.S. foreign policy now "open for business"?

    In this episode of the World Stage podcast, host Ole Jacob Sending (The Norwegian Centre for Geopolitics, NUPI) sits down with Alex Cooley (Columbia University) and Taylor St. John (NUPI) to discuss the shift toward transnational kleptocracy in US foreign policy. Drawing on a recent Foreign Affairs article, the guests explore how the second Trump administration is dismantling long-standing anti-corruption frameworks, such as restricting the enforcement of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), to facilitate a system where public power is leveraged for private gain. In the podcast, the three participants discuss several examples of transnational kleptocracy. One specific example recently reported in the Wall Street Journal involves US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and the President's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, who have been in active talks with Kirill Dmitriev head of the Russian sovereign wealth fund. The discussions center on using a portion of frozen Russian assets—which were widely expected to be designated for Ukraine's reconstruction—to instead create what Cooley terms "slush funds" for joint American-Russian investment projects. From the role of unofficial, "nebulous" advisors to the potential pressure on allies like Norway to politicize their sovereign wealth funds, this episode provides a deep dive into how international power is being exercised, bought, and shielded in an era of "kleptocratic populism". Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    41 min

  6. 19 JAN

    Trust, anger and the limits of EU democracy promotion

    In the EU’s enlargement debate, attention usually centres on Brussels—legal benchmarks, progress reports and diplomatic bargaining. But in countries hoping to join the bloc, politics is often decided via informal power networks, fragile institutions and the everyday effort of navigating uncertainty.  In this episode we shift from the top-down to the ground level as Jessica Hendrick speaks with Morten Bøås, research professor at the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI), who is leading RE-ENGAGE’s comparative fieldwork across Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Moldova, Serbia and Ukraine.  Together, they take listeners behind the scenes of how the project gathers original data in places shaped by war, protest and political pressure. Methods range from training local university students to conduct trust surveys to vignette experiments that test how citizens respond to crises and competing external “relief packages” from China, the EU, Russia and Turkey.  What do early findings reveal? What does “trust” really look like in a hybrid regime? How can the EU design programmes that people actually feel, rather than reforms they never see? And what should Brussels learn about democracy promotion to avoid repeating past mistakes?  This is the third episode from the RE-ENGAGE podcast series The Neighbourhood, which unpacks how countries hoping to join the EU navigate political change and outside pressure, and what that means for Europe’s democracy and security. The podcast series is produced by ECFR, and co-published by ECFR and NUPI. The RE-ENGAGE project is led by NUPI, and is funded by the European Union's Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 101132314. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    37 min
  7. The Neighbourhood: The EU’s enlargement reality check

    27/11/2025

    The Neighbourhood: The EU’s enlargement reality check

    How are enlargement reforms unfolding on the ground and what drives progress or stagnation? The 2025 Enlargement Package presents a mixed picture: Ukraine and Moldova are racing ahead, while Serbia and Georgia are lagging. The EU itself is struggling with internal divisions and reform fatigue. This episode of The World Stage is part of The Neighbourhood series from the NUPI-led project Re-engage, produced by ECFR and co-published by ECFR and NUPI. In this episode, ECFR's Jessica Hendrick is joined by Tiago Antunes, senior policy fellow with ECFR’s European Power programme, Leo Litra, visiting fellow at ECFR and senior fellow at Kyiv’s New Europe Center and Engjellushe Morina, senior policy fellow with ECFR’s European Security programme. Together, they discuss what this year’s enlargement report says about political will, institutional resilience and the everyday impact of enlargement. How can the EU make conditionality more credible? Are EU reforms changing behaviour in governments, institutions and people’s lives? And how can Brussels keep the reform energy alive? This episode was recorded on November 12th 2025. iIt's the second episode from the RE-ENGAGE podcast series The Neighbourhood, which unpacks how countries hoping to join the EU navigate political change and outside pressure, and what that means for Europe’s democracy and security. The podcast series is produced by ECFR, and co-published by ECFR and NUPI. The RE-ENGAGE project is led by NUPI, and is funded by the European Union's Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 101132314. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    38 min

  8. 21/11/2025

    Democratic backsliding, illiberal regimes and international cooperation under pressure

    The international system faces its gravest crisis in decades. As global democracy retreats, authoritarian regimes actively challenge established international rules and norms. This episode asks: Which institutions are worth saving in this "burning house" of cooperation? We analyse the paralysis of the UN Security Council and NATO's struggle against illiberal pressures as the world order begins to fragment. You will hear from Roland Paris, Alexandra Gheciu (both University of Ottawa) and NUPI's Ole Jacob Sending. The host for this episode is Marie Furhovden (NUPI). This episode is part of the NUPI led project NAVIGATOR that is investigating how the EU should navigate multilateral cooperation. The project receives funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under the Grant agreement ID: 101094394. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    36 min
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About

What is happening in the world right now? In this podcast produced by the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI) we'll take a closer look at events taking place around the globe. Here you will find conversations, seminars and lectures on different international topics. We hope you'll learn something new! For our Norwegian-speaking audience, we also recommend our podcast series Utenrikshospitalet and Hvor hender det?. If you have any feedback or tips, please contact us on post@nupi.no Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Information

  • Creator
    NUPI
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2026
  • Episodes
    98
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © NUPI
  • Show Website
    The World Stage

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