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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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

How does the new Norwegian High North strategy situate Norway and its northernmost countries in Arctic and global politics? What are the new priorities and signals in the strategy? And how will they be realized in practice in Norwegian foreign policy? In this episode of the NUPI podcast The World Stage, NUPI researcher Elana Wilson Rowe sits down with State Secretary (MFA) Maria Varteressian, and NUPI colleague Karsten Friis to discuss the new High North strategy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

International cooperation and the rules-based order as we know it is now at stake. The inauguration of Donald Trump in his second presidential term, Russia’s brutal war on Ukraine, and great power rivalry are just some of the factors that have had an influence on how countries can work together. In addition, several multilateral organisations are being criticised for a lack of efficiency in solving issues. In the midst of this, the EU and other institutions are working to maintain international cooperation on one hand and adjusting to the new reality on the other. In a time where uncertainty reigns, we must ask ourselves: Is the era of cooperation coming to an end? In this episode we look at the state of international cooperation both between countries and in different institutions and organisations. We also visit Johannesburg to investigate what international cooperation looks like from a South African point of view. Contributors to this episode are Amina Dossa and Buhle Kokela (students at WITS University), Sithembile Mbete (Executive Director, PARI), Malte Brosig (Professor, WITS University) and John Karlsrud (Research Professor, NUPI). Host for this episode is Marie Furhovden (NUPI). The podcast episode is part of the NAVIGATOR project, funded by the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under the Call HORIZON-CL2-2021-DEMOCRACY-01 – Grant agreement n°101061621. Visit the project webpage to learn more at www.eunav.eu Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Come Back Alive and other volunteer organisations is an underappreciated, but important factor in Ukraine's fight against Russia. They are a vital part of Ukraine’s resilience as the war enters its fourth year. Come Back Alive enjoys high trust, legitimacy and cooperates closely with the brigades in the field and the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense. Volunteer organisations show how popular mobilisation works in practice when the whole society wants to contribute to the war effort. As such, they also have important lessons for the Norwegian total defence concept. In this podcast episode we explore the role Come Back Alive and similar organisations are playing, how Norway and other states can increase their support, and what lessons they can hold for the Norwegian total defence concept.   In the studio are Kate Leschyshyn from Come Back Alive, and NUPI researchers Øyvind Svendsen and John Karlsrud. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The American security guarantee to Europe appears to be less iron clad than it used to be. The Trump administration seeks to shift military assets from Europe to the Asia-Pacific and expect Europe to spend 5% of its GDP on defence. How dramatic are these changes? How will it happen? And will it make Europe more exposed and vulnerable to potential Russian aggression? In this episode Karsten Friis discusses these and other relevant questions, including the newly published British Strategic Defence Review, with Max Bergmann from CSIS and Neil Melvin from RUSI.   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Is the UN’s peacekeeping mission in Mali, and in larger sense UN Peacekeeping, a canary in the coal mine for international cooperation? What can it tell us about geopolitical tensions and cooperation among key powers? And what does the future hold for Mali and the Sahel?  In this episode of the NUPI podcast The World Stage, Research Professor at NUPI John Karlsrud sits down with Arthur Boutellis to discuss the UN Peacekeeping mission in Mali, and Boutellis’ new book titled The UN Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA): Caught in the Geopolitical Crossfire. Arthur Boutellis is a non-resident Senior Adviser at the International Peace Institute (IPI) and Adjunct Professor at Columbia University and Sciences Po. He has worked in Mali with the UN, supported policymakers in New York with research as the head of the Brian Urqhart Centre for Peace Operations at the International Peace Institute.   John Karlsrud is a Research Professor and Head of the Research group on peace, conflict and development at NUPI. He has extensive experience as a researcher in the field of peacekeeping, peacebuilding and humanitarian issues. He previously served as Special Assistant to the United Nations Special Representative in Chad and as part of the UNDP’s leadership programme LEAD. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How is climate change tackled as a potential threat to peace and security in the United States? How can American policy and discourses in the field be compared to those in other areas of the world?   In this episode of The World Stage, Erin Sikorsky (Center for Climate Security) sits down with Cedric de Coning, Minoo Koefoed and Thor Olav Iversen (NUPI) to discuss responses to the effects of climate change on peace and security in the United States, Arctic, and geopolitical arenas.   Erin Sikorsky is the Director of the Center for Climate and Security (CCS), and the International Military Council on Climate and Security (IMCCS)   Cedric de Coning is a research professor at NUPI doing research on peace operations and climate, peace and security. Thor Olav Iversen and Minoo Koefoed are senior researchers at NUPI also specializing on climate, peace and security. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, we take a deep dive into the Comprehensive Planning and Performance Assessment System for UN Peacekeeping Operations (CPAS) with Kym Taylor who is the chief of the evaluation team within the Division for Policy, Evaluation and Training of the Department of Peace Operations, and Hans Sachs who is programme management officer in the same team. Host of the episode is Research Professor at NUPI Cedric de Coning. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Principal Investigator of the project The EU Navigating Multilateral Cooperation (NAVIGATOR), Research Professor John Karlsrud (NUPI), discusses the research agenda and how it will explore the ways in which the EU should navigate multilateral corporations. After presenting himself, the international team involved as well as the project's genesis, Karlsrud details the central research questions, the empirical focus and his ambitions for NAVIGATOR over the next two years. Host is Alix Bullman, NAVIGATOR’s communication officer. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How big of a multilateral actor is China? How is it working to influence issues ranging from artificial intelligence to the war in Ukraine?  Courtney Fung (Macquire University) sits down with Hans Jørgen Gåsemyr (NUPI) to discuss noticeable changes happening around China and the multilateral governance system in this episode of The World Stage. The episode includes discussion of the various global governance initiatives that China has made in recent years, its position on the war in Ukraine. and its work across the expanding digital technology governance agenda.  Courtney Fung is an associate professor at Macquire University (Australia) and has written extensively on China and the UN and related global security governance issues. Hans Jørgen Gåsemyr is a Senior Researcher at NUPI, specializing in Chinese politics.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In 2016 in Havana, the Colombian government signed a peace agreement with the FARC-EP guerilla, after several years of first secret, and then official, negotiations. The Havana talks and peace agreement have been acclaimed as the most gender inclusive in history. 8 years later, what is happening with the implementation of the agreement, and what are women’s roles in peace processes in Colombia today? In this episode, NUPI’s Jenny Lorentzen sits down with Priscyll Anctil Avoine (@priscyll_), researcher in Feminist Security Studies at the Swedish Defence University, and Dag Nylander (@DagNylander), NOREF director and former mediator to the peace process between the Colombian government and the FARC-EP. Having researched the political participation of women ex-combatants in armed conflict and peace processes in Colombia for the last 10 years, Avoine brings to the conversation the perspective of the women ex-combattants and colombian activists, while Nylander shares insights from his direct experience in the negotiations. Together, they shed light on the role of gender and women’s involvement in the Havana talks, the challenges related to implementing the 2016 agreement, as well as what lessons were learned in the Havana process that can be applied to the current negotiations with the ELN and future peace processes in Colombia. If you want to find out more about the political engagement of women ex-combattants in Colombia, you can follow @MujerFariana (the Farianas) and @CafAnaPaz1, an organization working for reconciliation and to recover the memory of women signatories of the peace agreement. This podcast is part of the project “Women, Peace and Security: Status Review and Study on Peace Processes in Colombia and South Sudan,” led by Jenny Lorentzen (@jennylorentzen). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.