Governing the Arctic: The Russian State Commission for Arctic Development and the Forging of a New Domestic Arctic Policy Agenda

After a period of relative neglect in the 1990s and early 2000s, the Arctic is back on the agenda of the Russian authorities. To ensure efficient coordination and implementation of its Arctic strategy, the government in 2015 established a State Commission for Arctic Development. It was to serve as a platform for coordinating the implementation of the government’s ambitious plans for the Arctic, for exchange of information among Arctic actors, and for ironing out interagency and interregional conflicts. Based on a case study of the State Commission for Arctic Development, this article has a twofold goal. First, it explores the current Russian domestic Arctic agenda, mapping key actors and priorities and examining the results achieved so far. Second, it discusses what this case study may tell us the about policy formulation and implementation in Russia today. We find that while the government’s renewed focus on the Arctic Zone has yielded some impressive results, the State Commission has been at best a mixed success. The case study demonstrates how, in the context of authoritarian modernization, the Russian government struggles to come up with effective and efficient institutions for Arctic governance. Moreover, the widespread image of a Russian governance model based on a strictly hierarchic “power vertical” must be modified. Russia’s Arctic policy agenda is characterized by infighting and bureaucratic obstructionism: even when Putin intervenes personally, achieving the desired goals can prove difficult

The power of civilizational nationalism in Russian foreign policy making

The article draws upon theories of identity to understand Russian foreign policy towards Ukraine since 2000. The article argues that contemporary Russian foreign policy can be best understood as an articulation of ‘civilizational nationalism’ which relies on the myth of cultural superiority. The focus is on not only treating Russia as an imperial power, but on the cultural claims that this relies upon and its configuration within changing historical ideas of ‘Russianness’. Since the Orange Revolution, Russian presidents have accused Ukraine of following anti-Russian policies. This has been aided by a discourse of ‘civilizational nationalism’ where Ukraine is described as being part of a ‘Greater Russia’, rather than as a sovereign territory. This article analyses how imagined civilization and greatness of Russian culture is driving foreign policy making towards the Ukraine. Rather than an external territory, Ukraine is constructed as a ‘little brother’ which renders interventions legitimate

The New Northern Dimension of the European Neighbourhood. CEPS Paperbacks. January 2009

In the contemporary policy debate on the EU’s neighbourhood, grand designs are transforming into more pragmatic considerations. This book examines regional cooperation among the countries in Europe’s northern neighbourhood, with an emphasis on the pitfalls and successes of engaging Russia. Drawing from the experiences of northern partnerships, the authors assess prospects for extending collaboration on energy, transport, the environment and public health. They conclude that practical regional cooperation with Russia in the north can prove highly relevant not only for developing the EU’s northern policy but also for working with Russia more generally

Geir Flikke: Russlands rebeller. Protest og reaksjon i Putins Russland (2011–2020)

Basert på en gjennomgang av et omfattende kildemateriale beskriver Geir Flikke hvordan Aleksej Navalnyj gradvis har bygget seg opp til å bli en av den russiske opposisjonens fremste profiler, en prosess som kulminerer med Navalnyjs (mislykkede) kampanje for å bli registrert som kandidat i presidentvalget 2018. Flikke gir en inngående og detaljrik gjennomgang av strategier, slagord og protestrepertoar. Både «rebeller» og regime bruker stadig vekk mer kreative metoder – opposisjonen for å nå frem, myndighetene for å kvele alle tilløp til det man gjerne refererer til som en mulig «fargerevolusjon»

Läs-och skrivsvårigheter/dyslexi : -nu och förr

Abstract The purpose with this essay is to get an insight on how the school has changed over the past years in terms of reading- and writing difficulties/dyslexia. In the literature studies I mention reading- and writing difficulties and the reasons why some people get these problems. Further on in the literature study it is written about what the education act and the curriculum say about the school’s duties towards pupils in need of special support. The result contains interviews with one language pedagogue and one special pedagogue who work in two different municipalities. In addition I interviewed two former pupils who went to school 15-20 years ago. I came to the conclusion that today’s schools have changed to the better for the pupils with difficulties. During the 1990’s the problems around dyslexia was getting attention in the society. This made the school more aware about reading- and writing difficulties/dyslexia and gave them more knowledge about the difficulties.Sammandrag Syftet med denna uppsats är att få en inblick i hur skolan har förändrats under de senare åren vad gällande elever med läs- och skrisvårigheter/dyslexi. I litteraturgenomgången tas läs- och skrivsvårigheter/dyslexi upp och vad det finns för bakomliggande orsaker till varför vissa personer får dessa svårigheter. Vidare står det om vad skollagen och läroplanen säger om skolans skyldigheter till att hjälpa elever i behov av särskilt stöd. Undersökningen som behandlades i resultatet omfattade intervjuer med en språkpedagog och en specialpedagog som är verksamma i två olika kommuner samt intervjuer med två före detta elever med dyslexi som gick i skolan för cirka 15-20 år sedan. Resultatet av undersökningen visade på att dagens skola har förändrats till det bättre för elever med dessa svårigheter. Under 1990-talet uppmärksammades dyslexiproblematiken i samhället vilket gjorde att skolan blev mer medveten och fick kunskap om läs- och skrivsvårigheter/dyslexi

Tumor Dosimetry in a Phase I Study of Lu(177)-DOTA-HH1 (Betalutin) - How hard does the magic bullet strike?

Introduction: Antibody-radionuclide-conjugate therapy using the monoclonal antibody agent 177 Lu-DOTA-HH1 (BetalutinTM ) developed by Nordic Nanovector, is a novel treatment of Non-Hodgkin s Lymphoma. A Phase I/II study is currently being conducted at Oslo University Hospital, the Lymrit-37-01-study. The main aim of this thesis was to develop and present a method to do dosimetric calculations on tumors in patients included in the study. Inhomogeneity of dose was investigated through dose rate maps and cumulative dose rate histograms. Method: Using imaging data from two SPECT/CT-sessions 4 and 7 days post-injection, activity in lesions was quantified. Volumes of interest (VOIs) were drawn by a nu- clear medicine specialist. VOIs were drawn with a margin around the imaged activity of the lesion, the novel VOISPECT -method. Cumulative activity was found through mono- exponential clearance of the activity. Patient specific masses from VOIs closely around the tumors were used. Absorbed dose was found by the proposed S-factor, S,resulting in mean dose to the tumors. The activity quantification method was verified through phantom measurements with hot spheres in attenuating material. The energy absorption factor was found using the dose calculation computer program OLINDA. Dose rate maps were generated through the use of convolution of activity distribution and a voxel s-value kernel retrieved from a database. Result: A total of 17 tumors in 6 patients grouped in three dose levels were ascribed a mean dose. Mean doses ranged from 86 to 794cGy. Inter- and intra-patient differences were observed. The phantom experiment showed good accuracy, with relative errors in the order of 5% compared to true activity. A constant factor S ̄ to calculate the cumulative energy was found sufficient as long as tumor volumes are in the range 1mL to 300mL. 16 dose rate maps and cumulative dose rate volume histograms were made, and D-values were found. Conclusion: The method presented was found to be successful in the calculation of mean tumor dose. A method to generate dose rate maps and cumulative dose rate histograms has also been found and presented