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.

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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.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.