The Polish Presidential Election 2020: which role does far-right politics (not) play? In less than two weeks, and amid much turbulence, Poland will choose its next President. Far-right politics plays a complex role in the election.
Who cares for the men who are left behind? OPINION: We need more research and less scorn, and a better understanding of the incel phenomenon in order to prevent radicalisation, writes Leif Edward Ottesen Kennair.
How Right-Wing Violence in Western Europe Changed in 2019 While the year 2019 in Western Europe was neither very violent in terms of fatal attacks, nor particularly deadly in terms of fatalities, we witnessed a worrying emerging global trend of right-wing lone-actor terrorists carrying out, or trying to carry out, mass-casualty attacks.
The EU’s global response to Covid-19: The challenge of promoting ownership An effective external response to Covid-19 by the EU must be rooted in the requirements and priorities of southern partners, argue Niels Keijzer and David Black.
Face masks: Why do different countries in the world have such different recommendations? Some of the answer to this question lies in the history of face masks and western prohibitions and unease related to the covering of faces in public.
Another brick in the wall: Covid-19 and the crisis of the liberal order Covid-19 risks being another hit to the liberal world order, argues GLOBUS researcher Sonia Lucarelli.
Translating economic growth into sustainable development in Africa during Covid-19 EU aid policies in Africa must continue to address the broader challenge of African socio-economic development while dealing with the specific challenges of Covid-19, writes GLOBUS researcher Pundy Pillay.
Learning from corona: Climate change, security and justice Just as the coronavirus, climate change is an existential threat that requires urgent measures. So why are we not treating it with the same kind of urgency, asks GLOBUS researcher Thomas Diez.
The EU and Covid-19: Overcoming the lockdown mindset on migration While the EU seems even less inclined to change its restrictive approach to migration during the coronavirus, the pandemic offers a window of opportunity to advance measures that would fit with the EU’s purported stance as a liberal vanguard in the international landscape, argues GLOBUS researcher Michela Ceccorulli.
High levels of pollutants in polar bears from the Barents Sea – what are the reasons behind? SHARE YOUR SCIENCE: Levels of exposure vary according to what the polar bears eat, where they move, and how much energy they need to get through a day in their polar bear lives.
Can the Coronavirus lead to more peace? SHARE YOUR SCIENCE: Researchers have never before seen so many countries declaring a ceasefire because of the same reason.
Food fraud: Do you really know what fish species you are eating? When you buy fish from a store, or when you are served a fish dish in a restaurant, you expect to get what the label says or to eat what you ordered. Unfortunately, the reality is sometimes far from expectations.
Multi-drug resistant bacteria: When the immune system during COVID-19 is attacked from two fronts SHARE YOUR SCIENCE: Norwegian COVID-19 patients who get a secondary bacterial infection leading to pneumonia, are better equipped in their struggle against this than Italian patients. Are we doing enough to find new technology against multi-drug resistant bacteria?
Professor and immunologist: I don't want COVID-19 SHARE YOUR SCIENCE: Anne Spurkland, professor of moleculary immunology, has devoured available research on COVID-19. What she's found, has made her worried: “Give me a vaccine against this virus as soon as possible. “
Quarantining Hungarian Democracy The Covid-19 crisis is exploited by Viktor Orbán to consolidate power and undermine democracy. The increasingly authoritarian Prime Minister has used the pandemic to further authoritarian ends. Democratic backsliding in Hungary has for long been a cause of concern for the European Union.
Ensuring meaningful stakeholder involvement in the EU's external policies While engagement with stakeholders is an increasingly popular approach to national and international decision-making, the EU needs to exercise greater caution when exporting multistakeholder arrangements to other countries, argues Diana Potjomkina.
A revolution in vaccine development – but will we all benefit? OPINION: By manipulating the “instruction manuals” that control cell function in our bodies, we will soon be able to combat many diseases, including the new coronavirus outbreak. But in the worst-case scenario, such innovations will only benefit the rich.
A Story about the Plague SHARE YOUR SCIENCE: A classic which is perennially up-to-date all of a sudden became urgently topical.
Who cares about pellet saithe? There’s one thing we can say about men from Northern Norway that are over 60: They sure care about pellet saithe. And not just a little – they care about it in a way that is statistically more significant than everyone else in Norway.
Do organisms find food when the sea ice retreats? In times of climate change and retreating sea ice, important research questions are for example: How important are sea ice algae as a food source for organisms such as copepods, krill and fish? Are they affected by the sea ice retreat and if so, how will that affect the functioning of the Arctic ecosystem?
Blowing in the Arctic wind Imaging driving with an open cabriolet car at 90km/h inside a gigantic freezer box at -25 degrees C with all windows opens. This does not sound comfortable and most people would not be part of such a situation voluntarily. But this has been the conditions we had been facing for the first days of our Q4 expedition.
Women sentenced to prison in Norway are treated favourably OPINION: Contrary to popular belief, women sentenced to prison in Norway receive more beneficial measures than men aimed at reintegration into society. The general claim that women sentenced to prison in Norway are discriminated against, is a myth.
Heritage conservation and Climate Change: Introducing the Future of our past in the Norwegian context. Transitions are changes in the way of do things, and to stimulate them it is necessary to expand our understanding of the world and its realities, so we can create new ways to relate to them. Although such proposals seem rather theoretical and abstract, this article will discuss how such transition is happening in the cultural heritage field.
A critical look at the EU's approach to peacekeeping The EU has been commended for its engagement with women and the local indigenous population in its mission in Chad. However, from a postcolonial perspective, it can be argued that the EU's personnel displayed specific Western assumptions in their operation, explains Lea Augenstein.
Who is responsible for sustainable development? Should past emissions matter when allocating responsibility for sustainable development? Former GLOBUS MA student Sigrid Jerpstad has analysed the EU's view on responsibility when negotiating the global sustainable development agenda.
Trafficking in human beings: A threat to European state security? After the so-called ‘migrant-crisis’, the EU has described trafficking in human beings as a threat to EU states, societies and economies. What implications does this shift have for the victims of trafficking? GLOBUS MA Vera Skjetne discusses the recent turn in EU’s trafficking policies.
Into the Subglacial Tunnel A POST FROM THE SUB-GLACIAL BLOG: After a steep walk up the mountain, we arrived in front of the tunnel entrance. There we stood, in shorts and t-shirts, suddenly realising that the heat and sunshine we were used to until now were about to become only a distant memory. With our winter coats, hats and gloves on, we followed Miriam as she opened the door leading into the mountain.
Arrival at Svartisen A POST FROM THE SUB GLACIAL BLOG: On the 17th of July, our advisor Miriam Jackson and the three of us (French students Perrine, Sophia and Juliette) made an excursion from their internship in glaciology at the NVE in Oslo to the Svartisen Subglacial Laboratory.
How the EU combines normative and consequentialist motivations in its climate policy The EU is often viewed as a key global actor in efforts to tackle climate change, but are the EU’s actions motivated by altruistic concerns for the environment or rather by pragmatic political and economic reasons, asks GLOBUS researcher Franziskus von Lucke.
Beyond a state-centric right to protect human rights: Operation Mediterranea by land and sea Who will protect the human rights of migrants at sea when the state fails to do so? GLOBUS researcher Michela Ceccorulli (University of Bologna) discusses the role of the non-governmental project Mediterranea Saving Humans in light of the recent criminalisation of humanitarian efforts in Italy.
Brazil’s declining climate ambitions: A severe blow to global climate governance The new Brazilian government’s seeming neglect of the climate issue causes instability in international climate negotiations, and puts pressure on other large economies like India and China to help fulfil the goals of the Paris Agreement, argues GLOBUS Researcher Solveig Aamodt. But are these countries up to the task?
Is it right to destroy monuments over our dark past? OPINION: Politicians, managers and researchers must be able to use their voices when cultural heritage contributes to discrimination, hatred and violence.
Promoting global justice when backlash strikes: the Beijing consensus on gender equality – and what happened to it
Science wars in the age of Donald Trump OPINION: If Brexit signified the end of facts, what does the election of Donald Trump tell us?
Increasing border security fences are a lethal problem for wildlife OPINION: Wire fences and walls along country boarders are a huge problem for wildlife. Animals die after getting entangled in the wires and many species are cut off from important seasonal habitats. This situation forces a re-think of conservation strategies across borders, says researcher.
Could we eat like scavengers? Dogs eat all kinds of nasty things, and vultures eat carcasses that are long dead. Could we eat rotten food if we heat treated it beforehand?
OPINION: The Christmas tree's carbon footprint Trees store carbon dioxide. How bad is it really to chop down a spruce tree and put it in the living room for Christmas?
Re-thinking the Nobel Science Prizes OPINION: Yes, Norway needs to focus more on top-quality research. But the growing fixation on prizes prompts the need for a gentle reminder about the meaning of the Nobel Prize. Just what do we actually know about these prizes?
Peak phosphorus and implications for India OPINION: One of the biggest risks that the world is facing right now is that of the ‘peak phosphorus’ crisis.
Should India invest in Arctic oil? OPINION: In an unusual twist of events, the second most populous country in the world has become an unlikely player in the far flung Arctic high north.
OPINION: Population studies need to be transparent Researchers comment on the ScienceNordic article ‘Big EU obesity study is not representative’ and give their point of view.
