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The document analyzes China's strategic efforts to increase its presence in West Africa, contrasting the deep, multi-sectoral engagement in Ghana with the more recent and technology-focused growth in Senegal. It attributes these differences to the length of diplomatic relations and the lingering influence of former colonial powers, particularly France.

The authors contend that Norway's public debate regarding the war in Ukraine has become overly emotional and ideologized, hindering the ability to discuss complex strategic dilemmas. They call for a more open discourse on NATO's role, the implications of NATO expansion into Finland and Sweden, the potential for EU membership, and the risks associated with food and energy price hikes.

The document examines how the Russia-Ukraine war has destabilized energy markets, undermining Russia's role as an 'energy superpower' and creating significant economic pressure on the Global South. It presents three scenarios: 'Stable high' prices, 'Persistent volatility', and 'Business as usual', analyzing how each affects national budgets, regional stability in the Middle East and Africa, and the global transition to renewable energy. The authors argue that while the crisis may incentivize some decarbonization, it also risks locking in fossil fuel production in the Global South and prioritizing immediate energy security over Paris Agreement goals.

The document examines how the Chinese government utilizes digital tools, specifically 'Health Kit' apps and the 'Green Arrow' travel app, to implement its 'zero-COVID' strategy. It details the role of private tech companies like Alibaba and Tencent in providing the infrastructure for this surveillance, noting that these platforms collect precise location and personal data that is accessible to the central government. The brief describes a system of color-coded health statuses (green, yellow, red) that controls movement and access to public spaces in major cities like Beijing and Shanghai, effectively enabling mass electronic surveillance and the ability to 'ground' citizens in their homes via automated alerts.

Based on a representative survey of 811 Ukrainians in April 2022, the study finds that the vast majority of the population remained in their home provinces despite the invasion. Among those who did migrate, three quarters stayed within Ukraine, often moving toward safer western regions like Lviv. The analysis indicates that personal exposure to direct attacks significantly increases the likelihood of a person planning to leave their current location, while the targeting of friends or family does not have a significant effect.

The document argues that disarmament negotiations are highly masculinized, leading to the routine exclusion of women despite their roles as combatants or leaders of anti-weapon campaigns. It identifies three primary barriers to inclusion: conceptual beliefs that women are irrelevant to war issues, technical portrayals of women as lacking military expertise, and political barriers related to the lack of women in leadership. Using case studies from five countries, the brief demonstrates a continuum of inclusion from total exclusion (Nepal, South Sudan, Sri Lanka) to meaningful inclusion (Philippines, Colombia). It recommends that third parties push for compulsory quotas and capacity-building to ensure diverse, horizontal, and vertical inclusion of women in all stages of peace processes.

The document analyzes India's reliance on the Aadhaar biometric ID system and the Jan Dhan-Aadhaar-Mobile (JAM) initiative to deliver social welfare and emergency aid. It highlights the deployment of the Aarogya Setu contact-tracing app during the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent concerns regarding data privacy, the lack of a legal data protection framework, and the potential for 'function creep' through the National Health Stack.

The document outlines the structural, sociocultural, and physical risks women face when participating in peace mediation, arguing that traditional security frameworks often overlook these gender-specific vulnerabilities. It highlights risks ranging from exclusion in pre-negotiations and reputational attacks to digital divide issues and psychological trauma. The briefing concludes that meaningful inclusion requires gender-sensitive security provisions, early involvement of women, and the recognition of informal mediation contributions.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has forced European states to prioritize energy security over climate goals, leading to a 'dash for LNG' that outbids developing nations and encourages a global return to coal. This shift undermines EU climate leadership and risks 'locking in' long-term fossil fuel infrastructure in Africa and Asia.

The document examines how Norway, as a small state, navigated a challenging geopolitical environment to maintain the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda in the UN Security Council. It highlights Norway's use of coalition-building, its presidency, and civil society engagement to secure WPS language in mandates and increase the number of women briefing the Council, despite resistance from permanent members like Russia and China.

The document identifies a substantial increase in protests in the Global South after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, driven by food and energy insecurity. Analyzing ACLED data, the authors found food protests in 32 countries and fuel protests in 37 countries. While many protests are isolated, in some nations—such as Paraguay, Guatemala, and Peru—these grievances constituted a significant portion of all unrest events. The report argues that such protests serve as warnings of household hardship and can lead to severe political consequences, citing the flight of Sri Lanka's president as an example.

The document argues that peace processes incorporating meaningful participation from women and grassroots initiatives are more likely to be durable. It highlights the systemic bias toward elite and armed group inclusion, which often sidelines marginalized groups. Through four case studies, it demonstrates varying levels of success: Colombia's use of testimonies and peace communities, Liberia's non-violent mass action and strategic use of gender stereotypes, Libya's reliance on Track III community-level mediation due to structural exclusion from formal talks, and the Philippines' high level of female leadership in formal panels and strategic links between diplomatic tracks. The briefing concludes that pre-existing strong women's movements, early involvement across all tracks, community-level legitimacy, and women in leadership positions are key factors for successful grassroots inclusion.

The paper argues that EU migration policy has shifted from a broad, horizontal approach to policy coherence for development toward a narrow, vertical focus on the efficiency of irregular migration management and return.

The document argues that EU efforts to secure peace in Libya have been undermined by competing national interests, particularly between France and Italy, and a tendency to prioritize short-term goals like migration externalization and energy resource access. While the EU has successfully used Libya to limit migrant crossings through disputed agreements like the Valletta Memorandum, these same mechanisms have not translated into political stability. The author suggests that the EU should employ multi-track diplomacy and a concerted, unified approach that incorporates Libyan interests to achieve a sustainable peace.

The analysis identifies three specific writing challenges unique to the PhD by Publication (PBP) genre: the potential loss of ownership over the text and process, the difficulty of negotiating the relationship between individual stand-alone articles and the overall thesis, and the requirement to write for diverse purposes and audiences.

The document examines the progress and deficits of the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) framework in Cyprus. While it notes success in promoting female participation in civil society and informal peace processes, it highlights a systemic failure to address 'hard' security and defence issues. The authors argue that both the Republic of Cyprus's National Action Plan and the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) over-rely on the participation pillar, leaving core security functions unaddressed and creating a disconnect between civil society activists and government policymakers.

The document argues that while the discovery of hydrocarbons in the Eastern Mediterranean increased tensions between Turkey, Greece, and the Republic of Cyprus, the shift toward decarbonization offers a new opportunity for inter-ethnic cooperation. It emphasizes the need for a policy framework for the electrification of transport, buildings, and industry, and warns that new European grid projects (EuroAsia and EuroAfrica Interconnectors) could inadvertently isolate the Turkish Cypriot community if the existing interconnector between the north and south is terminated.

The report examines the implementation of the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda in Cyprus and Kosovo, highlighting a gap in 'hard' security integration in Cyprus compared to the more comprehensive approach in Kosovo. It analyzes the roles of UNFICYP, UNMIK, EULEX, and KFOR, arguing that while participation of women in peacekeeping is high in both regions, the integration of gender perspectives into core security and defence policy remains underdeveloped, particularly in the Republic of Cyprus.

The document analyzes the deepening strategic, economic, and military ties between Israel and the Republic of Cyprus, emphasizing the role of the trilateral Israel-Cyprus-Greece framework. It finds that while Israeli elites view Cyprus as a loyal ally and a bridge to the European Union, there is a significant lack of awareness regarding the relationship's depth among the broader Israeli public and some lawmakers.

The report examines the shift from a fossil-fuel-based geopolitical paradigm to one led by renewables in the Eastern Mediterranean. It argues that while hydrocarbon discoveries have historically escalated tensions over maritime boundaries, the transition to clean energy offers new opportunities for regional and inter-communal cooperation. Specifically, it proposes several technical and policy-driven 'green dialogue' initiatives for divided Cyprus, such as shared energy storage in the buffer zone and renewable energy trade, to build trust and align the island with EU climate goals.