PRIO's Peace in a Pod

The stakes are rising in Ukraine as Russian attacks on critical infrastructure intensify, plunging the country into darkness with rolling blackouts.Meanwhile, the Biden administration makes its final push to arm Kyiv before leaving office, and President-elect Donald Trump signals a potential shift in U.S. policy, raising critical questions about the future of the conflict.In this episode of PRIO’s Peace in a Pod, host Arnaud Siad is joined by Kristian Berg Harpviken, research professor at PRIO and the future Head of the Norwegian Nobel Institute, and Dr. Sabine Fischer, a Russia expert at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs, to discuss Ukraine’s war at this pivotal moment and what lies ahead.Picture: Getty Images.

The Nobel Peace Prize is one of the world’s most prestigious honors. Each year, the Director of the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO) presents his own independent list of individuals and organizations he believes are deserving of the Prize.This list, separate from the official selection by the Norwegian Nobel Committee, highlights those who have worked tirelessly for peace and merit special recognition.In this episode, PRIO Director Henrik Urdal discusses the people and organizations who made it onto his list this year. He is joined by Berit Reiss-Andersen, Special Adviser to the Norwegian Red Cross and former member of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, where she served for over a decade. Also featured is Maria Ressa, the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize laureate, honored for her courageous work alongside Russian journalist Dmitry Muratov in defending freedom of expression.PRIO's Peace in a Pod is hosted by Arnaud Siad.Photo credit: © Nobel Prize Outreach. Photo: Geir Anders Rybakken Ørslien 

On April 29th at the World Economic Forum, Norway’s Foreign Minister, Espen Barth Eide, delivered a striking critique of the so-called “West,” accusing his allies of a double standard in their handling of the conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza. His remarks echoed growing criticism from the Global South, and highlighted the risk of eroding multilateral institutions and international law. But is there truly a double standard? And what new global alliances could emerge as the United Nations struggles with paralysis? In this episode, Stein Tønnesson, Research Professor Emeritus and former Director of PRIO, and Gérard Araud, former French Ambassador to the UN and the United States, explore what “the West” means today and how global governance might evolve in the future.This episode is hosted by Arnaud Siad.

More armed conflicts took place in 2023 than in any other year since the end of World War II. That is the shocking finding in this year’s Conflict Trends Report – a yearly paper by the Peace Research Institute Oslo, using data from the Uppsala Conflict Data Program and examining global conflict trends since 1946. In total, 59 armed conflicts raged around the world last year. So is our world becoming more violent? What were the most violent conflicts in 2023? And are these figures a coincidence of overlapping conflicts, some extraordinarily lethal, from artillery warfare in Ukraine to the razing of Gaza? Siri Aas Rustad is a Research Director at PRIO and the author of the Conflict Trends Report. In this episode, she is joined by Richard Gowan, the United Nations Director for the International Crisis Group, and an Associate Senior Policy Fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations. PRIO's Peace in a Pod is hosted by award-winning journalist Arnaud Siad.

For decades, Norway has played a major role as a peacemaker. From the Nobel Peace Prize to the Oslo Accords, promoting peace has been a central aspect of Norwegian foreign policy.But this is only part of the story. Few outside the country are aware of the thriving, lucrative, and government-owned weapons industry in this Scandinavian nation.This creates a dilemma for Norway, as it walks a tightrope between economic interests and its commitments to international law.In this episode, Nic Marsh, a Senior Researcher at PRIO and a specialist in arms trade, discusses the scope and significance of Norway's weapons industry and arms trade. He is joined by General Kristin Lund, a retired senior officer of the Norwegian Army and the first woman to command a UN peacekeeping operation.The episode is hosted by award-winning journalist Arnaud Siad.

As tensions continue to rise in the Middle East, two women's organizations are pushing for a return to negotiation and a permanent resolution to the conflict.“Women Wage Peace” is the largest grassroots peace movement in Israel, while its Palestinian counterpart, “Women of the Sun,” is a Palestinian women's organization based in Bethlehem.They are part of a global movement to ensure women are not just represented, but also at the leadership table in peace negotiations.Their work is supported by research showing that involving women significantly increases the chances of achieving enduring peace agreements.In this episode, Xanthe Scharff, a gender expert, writer, and co-founder of The Fuller Project, a nonprofit organization dedicated to groundbreaking reporting on women, tells us about her reporting on these two women’s organizations.She is followed by Torunn L. Tryggestad, PRIO’s Deputy Director who heads its Centre on Gender, Peace, and Security, and Professor Azza Karam, a specialist in religion and development, and the keynote speaker at this year’s UN High-Level Seminar on Gender and Inclusive Mediation Processes, held in Oslo.PRIO’s "Peace in a Pod" is hosted by award-winning journalist Arnaud Siad.

As Russians headed to the polls this month, the reelection of Russian President Vladimir Putin was not in doubt.On March 17th, with over 87% of the votes in his favor, Putin secured a fifth term, becoming the longest-serving leader of the Federation since Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin. With most opposition candidates either dead, jailed, exiled, or barred from running, the path was clear, with no credible challenger to his rule.Echoing this landslide victory, polls in Russia seem to indicate Putin enjoys real domestic support, with 86% approving of the President, according to the Levada Centre, a respected Russian pollster.So beyond these official figures, what do Russians really make of their leader? And is support for the war in Ukraine as strong as the Kremlin claims?In this episode, we talk to Aleksei Miniailo, a political activist in Moscow, who started a project with social scientists and analysts to find out how the war with Ukraine is really being perceived in Russia. Pavel Baev, a Research professor at PRIO and an expert on Russian foreign policy, also joins the conversation.PRIO's Peace in a Pod is hosted by award-winning journalist Arnaud Siad.

UNRWA is in trouble. The UN agency for Palestine Refugees is accused by Israel of being infiltrated by Hamas and having had some of its staff involved in the attacks on October 7th.Nearly 2 million people in Gaza depend on UNRWA for survival as war and displacement continue after nearly four months of war.The allegations by Israel concern a fraction of the workforce in Gaza, but are having devastating consequences for the organization, threatening its very existence.While an investigation into Israel’s claims is ongoing, the United States, Germany and Sweden – the largest individual donors to UNRWA - have all paused their funding, and the European Union is wavering over what to do. However, Norway, one of the largest donors to UNRWA, says it will continue its funding.In this episode, UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini, Norwegian State Secretary Andreas Motzfeldt Kravik, and Jørgen Jensehaugen, a PRIO expert on the Arab-Israeli conflict, discuss why the organization matters more now than ever.The episode is hosted by Arnaud Siad.