Love at first sight: Co-operation between the Netherlands and Norway on the peaceful use of atomic energy, 1950-1960

After the Second World War, both the Netherlands and Norway sought to develop a nuclear reactor. But both countries lacked sufficient resources. J. M. van Splutner describes how the two countries still managed to develop nuclear energy

A concept for post-cold war peacekeeping

From the perspectives of history, pragmatism, and the recent post operational reports of practitioners, Charles Dobbie examines the demands of peacekeeping today. On the evidence adduced he suggests that the absence or presence of consent in theatre is the critical determinant of the manner in which peacekeeping operations should be planned, directed and conducted at all levels, particularly with regard to the use of force. He goes on to describe a concept for peacekeeping in the contemporary security environmental seeks to take realistic account of the consent criterion. His concept describes the range of possible peacekeeping tasks and goes on to cover principles, operational techniques, planning and training. Dobbie concludes by seven particular lessons, arguing that peacekeeping and peace enforcement are separate and mutually exclusive activities which cannot be mixed and which therefore need to be directed and handled in a consistent manner with due regard to appropriate principles. He also suggests that the main effort of any peacekeeping campaign should seek to address the perceptions and attitudes of the parties to the conflict and the local population

Strengthening the managment of UN peacekeeping operations: an agenda for reform

The increase in UN peacekeeping operations after the Cold War was a challenge to the UN. Many actions were implemented, but there was a need for further measures. In this study Steven R. Rader presents his view on what the UN needed to do to meet the operational challenges

The crisis in peacekeeping

Peacekeeping under United Nations auspices, while it has achieved some notable results in recent years, is in acute crisis. The problems which peacekeeping now faces, and will go on facing in coming years, are such as to confirm that we are very far still from any form of global governance that involves a truly global capacity for peacekeeping is, and is likely to remain, patcy, ad hoc, and more appropriate to some situationsthan to others. It is vital that its achievements, its reputation, and its future possibilities should not be undermined by its applications to too many conflicts, and by failure to adress some of the hard questions it now faces

In search of superiority: US nuclear policy in the Cold War

What role did the strategic nuclear weapons have in US policy towards the Soviet Union during the Cold War? This study argues that even though US nuclear policy was defensive in nature - its chief objective being to deter Soviet aggression - it nevertheless represented a deliberate and almost permanent quest for strategic superiority. More than anything, this paradoxical situation resulted from two factors: the steady growth in Soviet strategic capabilities, and the firm belief among US decisionmakers that, given the "delicacy" of the balance of terror, even marginal advantages were crucial for maintaining the peace

Nobels fredspris - og diplomatiske forviklinger: tysk-norske forbindelser i kjølvannet av Ossietzky-saken

Den 23. november 1936 ble Carl von Ossietzky tildelt Nobels fredspris. For første gang ga Den norske Nobelkomiteen prisen til en politisk opposisjonell. Fredsprisutdelingen vakte stor misnøye i Tyskland og førte til diplomatiske forviklinger i forholdet til Norge. Saken fikk likevel ikke alvorlige følger for forbindelsene mellom de to landene. Med utgangspunkt i tyske og norske kilder belyser denne studien hvordan tyske myndigheter reagerte på fredspristildelingen og hvilke konsekvenser Nobelkomiteens beslutning fikk for forholdet mellom Tyskland og Norge. Den drøfter også hvilken rolle det tyske diplomatiet og de nazistiske partitoppene spilte når det gjaldt utformingen av de tyske reaksjonene

A victory for collective security: the UN and the Gulf crisis

The study throws light on the role of the UN in the Gulf crisis. The Iraqi invasion of Kuwait on August 2 1990 was a clear-cut breach of international law, and there was no doubt that the UN Security Council had a formal reason for acting. However, formalities alone cannot explain the commitment made by the Security Council members in this particular crisis. The l2th resolution of the Iraq-Kuwait crisis authorized the use of all necessary means. Thus it represented the closest the organization has come in using the system of economic and military sanctions according to the Charter. The study concentrates on the questions why the members of the Security Council were able to find consensus in taking these measures, and how the UN system functioned during the crisis

Om den røde hær rykker inn i Norge... Spørsmålet om sovjetisk deltagelse i frigjøringen av Norge 1941-1944

Spørsmålet om sovjetisk deltagelse I frigjøringen av Norge 1941-1944 Hvordan forholdt den norske eksilregjeringen seg til mulighetene for sovjetisk innmarsj i Finnmark under Andre verdenskrig? Sven G. Holtsmark tar for seg den norske eksilregjeringens politikk fra 1941 til 1945, og beskriver hvordan regjeringen arbeidet med spørsmålet om frigjøringen av Finnmark, og da spesielt synet på sovjetisk innblanding

Fissionable consensus: Scandinavia and the US quest for atomic energy control, 1946-1950

Between 1946 and 1950 the UN worked on a plan for preventing the spread of nuclear weapons. The plan would put strong limitations to and control over independent states abilities to develop nuclear energy and weapons. This plan gained support from many western states. Olav Njøstad raises the question of why they supported the plan, by using the Scandinavian countries as examples