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The World Stage

NUPI

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.

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  • 20 episodes
  • Avg 33 min
  • English

Episodes 20

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  • S2026 · E11
    June 3 · 30 min

    Psychology, Status, and Recognition in International Politics

    In this episode, Professor Deborah Welch Larson joins host Morten Skumsrud Andersen to discuss how the need for recognition and the fear of status loss affect international politics. Drawing on decades of research, Larson starts with the mistrust that defined the Cold War, before examining how powers like China and Russia seek international status through emulation, competition, and social creativity. The episode also explores a paradox of contemporary U.S. politics; whilst President Donald Trump aims to restore American greatness, his policies may undermine the foundations of U.S. international status. We examine the psychology of grievance and humiliation, and ask what it signals when a hegemon begins to retreat from the international order it helped create. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • S2026 · E6
    April 10 · 26 min

    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.

  • S2026 · E2
    March 11 · 41 min

    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.

  • S2026 · E1
    January 19 · 36 min

    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.

  • S2025 · E8
    Nov 27, 2025 · 37 min

    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.

  • S2025 · E6
    Oct 16, 2025 · 25 min

    The Neighbourhood: Europe’s enlargement moment

    EU enlargement is back at the top of the EU’s political agenda as Russia’s war against Ukraine has transformed it from a bureaucratic process into a matter of European security. In this episode, Mark Leonard speaks with Lykke Friis, co-chair of ECFR’s council, director of the Danish think-tank Europa, and former Danish minister, as European leaders gather for the European Political Community summit in Copenhagen. Together they discuss why Denmark has shifted to advocating for enlargement and why Europe’s future security may depend on bringing Ukraine and Moldova closer. Is the EU ready for a new wave of member countries? Can enlargement be both geopolitical and merit-based? And what role will Denmark play in defining the EU’s next chapter? Bookshelf: Strength in members: How to rally EU enlargement for defence by Gustav Gressel, Nicu Popescu New report on EU enlargement and integration by Piotr Buras with Lykke Friis, Engjellushe Morina and Iben Schacke Deutschland 1946: Das Wunder beginnt by Rüdiger Barth, Hauke Friederichs Indignity: A Life Reimagined by Lea Ypi This episode was recorded on October 2nd, 2025. The episode marks the launch of ECFR’s new RE-ENGAGE podcast series: The Neighbourhood, which will unpack 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 les 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.

  • S2025 · E5
    Sep 24, 2025 · 30 min

    Constructivist theorizing in tumultuous times (ft Nicholas Onuf and Stefano Guzzini)

    With the growing sense of perpetual and compounding global crises and war, it is not only policy makers that are scrambling to respond. The discipline of International Relations has also been thrown into upheaval and reconsidering and revising its theoretical apparatus. This episode of the World Stage takes a step back and discusses the role of constructivism for Illuminating the current moment with two of its leading theoreticians: Stefano Guzzini and Nicholas Onuf. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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