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31. Opportunities for Danish stabilisation policy to engage with climate- and livelihood-related conflict: New approaches to fragility in the Horn of Africa and Sahel

Author:
Peer Schouten
Publication Date:
03-2021
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Danish Institute for International Studies (DIIS)
Abstract:
The Horn of Africa and the Sahel are among the most fragile regions in the world: poor, lacking basic infrastructure and state presence across much of their respective territories, and both form hotbeds of conflict and political instability compounded by climate change. This DIIS Working Paper focuses on identifying evolving notions of fragility that could strengthen Danish stabilisation efforts in the Horn and Sahel. It foregrounds notions of fragility that move away from a focus on strong state institutions towards the adaptive capacities of populations in the hinterlands of the Horn and the Sahel to deal with conflict and climate variability. The paper gives an overview of this rapidly evolving field and distils key insights, challenges and future options by exploring the question, how can we support people in the Sahel and Horn to re-establish their responsibility for their respective territories and the management of their natural resources? The paper addresses this question by exploring the implications of recent climate change and livelihoods research on how we approach fragility and, by extension, stabilisation. On the basis of such research, the Working Paper advocates a move away from a sector-based understanding of fragility towards a way of working that is more in line with contextual realities, alongside the ‘comprehensive approach’ to stabilisation that Denmark promotes. The key message is that, programmatically, Danish stabilisation efforts across both regions could benefit from a more explicit focus on supporting the variability that dominant livelihood strategies require and that need to be considered if sustainable security and development outcomes are to be achieved. Failing to do this will only serve to marginalise key communities and may drive them further into the arms of radical groups.
Topic:
Security, Foreign Policy, Defense Policy, Climate Change, Democratization, Development, Environment, Radicalization, Fragile States, Violence, Peace, and Justice
Political Geography:
Africa, Europe, Denmark, and Horn of Africa

32. Renewable energy in Africa is about more than climate change: Aid needed for both clean energy and local capacity

Author:
Rasmus Hundsbæk Pedersen and Ole Winckler Andersen
Publication Date:
03-2021
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Danish Institute for International Studies (DIIS)
Abstract:
Development assistance for new renewable energy in Sub-Saharan Africa is increasingly being used to mobilise additional private capital. Recipient countries do not always share the priorities of donors. Realism and long-term support are key. RECOMMENDATIONS: Continue funding, but also acknowledge different interests and objectives, in order to move new renewable energy to scale. Balance the support for market development with support to government entities. Support longer-term capacity-building to ensure energy sector sustainability in recipient countries. Adopt flexible approaches and ensure independent advice to governments and institutions.
Topic:
Climate Change, Development, Foreign Aid, and Renewable Energy
Political Geography:
Africa, Europe, Denmark, and Sub-Saharan Africa

33. Cyber Conscription: Experience and Best Practice from Selected Countries

Author:
Martin Hurt and Tiia Sõmer
Publication Date:
02-2021
Content Type:
Special Report
Institution:
International Centre for Defence and Security - ICDS
Abstract:
Cyber conscription is quite a new phenomenon and there is no common definition of the term. Cyber conscripts may carry out a range of functions including technical cybersecurity and cyber defence, as well as IT support, programming and development. They may also serve in more traditional branches such as communications/signals, intelligence, and even social media. This report aims to identify best practices in the use of conscripts and reservists with information and communications technology (ICT)-related education and/or experience, bearing in mind the limited time that they serve. It examines the selection, training and employment of cyber conscripts and reservists in six countries: Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland. In the countries analysed, the number of volunteers applying for cyber conscription exceeds the military’s needs—there is no immediate need to increase the attractiveness of this type of service. This may change, however, since several nations plan to increase the annual requirement for cyber conscripts. Interviews conducted for this report found that cyber conscripts receive basic military training that mostly follows a uniform pattern common to all conscripts. Only after completing basic military training are cyber conscripts given more specific training, including on cyberspace operations. Several of the armed forces of the countries studied cooperate with universities and have either developed or are planning to launch partnerships with the private sector. Some also provide cyber conscripts with training that gives them a specialist certificate or university credit points. Our report makes recommendations for military authorities that should benefit the armed forces and the individual conscripts, as well as academia and the private sector.
Topic:
Defense Policy, Military Affairs, Cybersecurity, Cyberspace, and Conscription
Political Geography:
Finland, Norway, Estonia, Denmark, Switzerland, and Sweden

34. Confronting China on sensitive issues

Author:
Andreas Bøje Forsby
Publication Date:
12-2021
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Danish Institute for International Studies (DIIS)
Abstract:
In the past few years, we have witnessed a resurgence of liberal human rights issues and other sensitive political questions in bilateral relations between Denmark and China. This has triggered a series of confrontations over, among other things, a satirical cartoon in Jyllands-Posten, Chinese sanctions against the Copenhagen-based Alliance of Democracies and the installation of a ‘pillar of shame’ sculpture in front of Christiansborg (housing the Danish Parliament) in solidarity with the pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong. Meanwhile, bilateral relations have taken a sharp downward turn, threatening the very existence of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership launched by Denmark and China in 2008. While Danish governments are mandated by Folketinget (Parliament) to raise human rights concerns with Beijing, for many years Copenhagen preferred to do so in a relatively discreet manner, on the margins of bilateral meetings or together with a coalition of states in multilateral fora such as the UNHRC. Since 2019, however, human rights and other sensitive issues have come to dominate the bilateral agenda, reflecting a broader Western development as China has come to be widely seen as ‘a systemic rival’ to liberal democracy.
Topic:
Foreign Policy, Defense Policy, Diplomacy, and International Organization
Political Geography:
China, Asia, Denmark, and Baltic States

35. Biodiversity and Development: The evolution of Community Based Conservation and implications for Danish development cooperation

Author:
Mikkel Funder and Marie Ladekjær Gravesen
Publication Date:
12-2021
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Danish Institute for International Studies (DIIS)
Abstract:
Loss of nature and biodiversity constitutes a major global crisis for environment and development and interacts closely with the climate crisis. After a period of limited attention, conservation is again rising on the agenda of development cooperation, especially in the context of Nature-based Solutions. There is a growing consensus that biodiversity goals can only be achieved by focusing more on conservation outside conventional protected areas. This offers new opportunities for both conservation and development, but it also poses a risk of ‘green grabbing’ whereby communities loose access to land and natural resources that are key for their survival and resilience. In the support to biodiversity conservation, attention to Community Based Conservation (CBC) is therefore critical. However, CBC approaches are not new and have not always worked. Future support to such approaches must therefore learn from the past and incorporate new directions. This DIIS Working Paper, written by Mikkel Funder and Marie Ladekjær Gravesen, DIIS, provides an overview of the evolution of community-based biodiversity conservation since the 1980s, where new approaches are heading, and what the overall lessons are so far. On this basis it provides recommendations for how Denmark’s development cooperation can support community-based conservation. The paper focuses on the socioeconomic and governance dimensions of community-based conservation and draws particularly on experiences from area-based conservation in the African setting. The study finds that: • CBC has developed and expanded but is not yet consolidated on the ground • Community rights to land and natural resources are critical for successful CBC • CBC must be better anchored in local livelihoods and economies • Economic compensation and income substitution is not enough in itself • A growing emphasis on CBC in ‘working landscapes’ offers potential • National associations and networks have been important platforms for CBC advocacy • There is a need to strengthen horizontal and vertical institutional links for CBC The paper recommends that Denmark should: Strengthen support to community-based conservation outside protected areas. Denmark can play an important role in helping to ensure that conservation in these spaces is done in the right and most effective way, i.e. that it benefits biodiversity while also strengthening the rights and livelihoods of communities. Integrate support to CBC with support to climate change adaptation and resilience. With the right approach, Ecosystem Based Adaptation offers good scope for protecting and improving the conditions for both biodiversity conservation and development. Support protection of the land- and governance rights of communities and indigenous peoples in biodiversity conservation. Denmark should (i) advance legal recognition and enforceable safeguards of rights-based approaches in the implementation of the CBD’s post-2020 global biodiversity framework; (ii) support practical application of the IUCN’s Natural Resource Governance Framework and standards for Nature Based Solutions; and (iii) prioritise multilateral and bilateral support to conservation initiatives that actively sustain and strengthen community land rights as part of the solution. Support CBC approaches that transcend the conventional separation between human production and conservation. This entails a broad approach to biodiversity conservation which goes beyond species protection in isolated islands of ‘wild nature’. A key emphasis should be on supporting CBC in ‘working landscapes’, i.e. strengthening existing sustainable production systems in crop farming areas, rangelands, forests, wetlands, urban areas etc. Support CBC schemes to become more firmly anchored in local resource use economies. Many conventional CBC schemes - especially in the African setting – are heavily dependent on international leisure markets such as tourism/hunting and on recurrent donor funding. This poses risks, as illustrated by the major funding concerns for African conservation following the Covid-19 epidemic. A more diversified strategy is needed. Facilitate bio-cultural approaches to the governance of biodiversity conservation. This means accepting a diversity of conservation values and that conservation will look different from place to place. It entails an approach in which CBC arrangements are tailored to the socio-ecological and cultural context - rather than following a universal model - but which also builds broader nested governance frameworks for negotiation, decision-making, conflict resolution and knowledge sharing. Alongside place-based conservation, it is critical to sustain and strengthen Denmark’s efforts to engage with the broader drivers of biodiversity loss at global and national levels. While CBC is critically important for conservation, it cannot on its own address wider drivers of biodiversity loss.
Topic:
Climate Change, Development, Natural Resources, and Land Rights
Political Geography:
Denmark

36. The myths and realities of China's economic coercion

Author:
Luke Patey
Publication Date:
11-2021
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Danish Institute for International Studies (DIIS)
Abstract:
Despite the significance of the world’s second largest economy increasingly using its trade and connectivity as a weapon to advance its foreignand security-policy aims, separating the myths from the realities of Chinese coercion is crucial in shaping appropriate policy responses and deterring China and others from such assertive behaviour.
Topic:
Security, Foreign Policy, Defense Policy, Diplomacy, Economics, and Coercion
Political Geography:
China, Europe, Asia, and Denmark

37. Migration and foreign aid: Drivers, desires and development

Author:
Ida Marie Savio Vammen, Lars Engberg-Pedersen, and Hans Lucht
Publication Date:
11-2021
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Danish Institute for International Studies (DIIS)
Abstract:
In the often heated European policy debates over migration, conflict, lack of development, population growth, and climate change are often described as the ‘root causes’ that make people seek refuge and a better life in Europe. However, recent research-based literature on the links between migration and development stands in stark contrast to such simplified assumptions. This new DIIS Working Paper explores the relationship between migration, development, and foreign aid. It builds on insights from both quantitative and qualitative studies focusing on Africa – especially West Africa – and is divided into three parts. It first examines the factors that underpin human mobility, then looks at contemporary African migration trajectories, and finally discusses how migration relates to foreign aid. The paper shows that irregular migration to Europe is limited and a result of economic progress, rather than poverty or conflict alone, thus making foreign aid an ineffective instrument to curb it. Furthermore, the paper argues that foreign aid initiatives often focus on externally defined root causes of migration and rarely attempt to understand locally determined drivers of migration. To better grasp how development policies and migration intersect, more in-depth research is needed.
Topic:
Foreign Policy, Development, Migration, Foreign Aid, and Inequality
Political Geography:
Europe and Denmark

38. The pandemic has overturned our old understandings of security

Author:
Trine Villumsen Berling, Ulrik Pram Gad, Karen Lund Petersen, and Ole Waever
Publication Date:
11-2021
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Danish Institute for International Studies (DIIS)
Abstract:
On 11 March 2020, the Danish prime minister, Mette Frederiksen, addressed the nation in a press conference broadcast live from the ’Hall of Mirrors’ in the Prime Minister’s Office. The setting was grandiose, the tone was serious, the future gloomy. The coronavirus pandemic was here, and it was threatening Danish citizens, the healthcare system and the welfare state. Frederiksen announced an immediate two-week lockdown of Denmark. Now was the time to show ‘community spirit.’ Every citizen was called upon to work collectively to protect vulnerable individuals, societal cohesion and the survival of the Danish state. Gone were the threats of climate change, which dominated the general election less than a year earlier. If border control was relevant, the reason was no longer the migrants and refugees whose ‘influx’ and ‘failure to integrate’ had fundamentally re-configured the Danish party system over the last decades. Some would argue that this was a classic act of securitization requiring the concentration of all attention and resources on emergency measures to fight off an existential threat. However, what happened was much more complicated. What we saw was a complex web of translations of this security message into the daily practices of government agencies, private companies and citizens.
Topic:
Security, Governance, Crisis Management, and COVID-19
Political Geography:
Europe, Denmark, and Sweden

39. Greenland obviously has its own defense policy

Author:
Sara Olsvig and Urik Pram Gad
Publication Date:
11-2021
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Danish Institute for International Studies (DIIS)
Abstract:
Historically, Danish decisions have not always put Greenlandic interests first. Although defense policy is formally under Danish jurisdiction, decisions only have the legitimacy necessary if Greenland participates in the decision-making processes. Because in Greenland, military activities and installations interfere intimately with civic society. Increased rivalry between the great powers in the Arctic produces challenging issues for the constitutional community consisting of Greenland, the Faroe Islands and Denmark. Denmark and Greenland must make the role they each want to play in the international community clear and rethink the responsibilities and coordination procedures of the community. Otherwise, Greenland and Denmark risk contributing to increased tension in the Arctic – and Greenland risks missing out on potential gains from the growing attention from the great powers.
Topic:
Security, Foreign Policy, and Defense Policy
Political Geography:
Europe, Denmark, and Greenland

40. Denmark: A Case Study for a Climate-Neutral Europe

Author:
Thibault Menu
Publication Date:
04-2021
Content Type:
Special Report
Institution:
Institut français des relations internationales (IFRI)
Abstract:
In recent years, Denmark has steadily emerged as a leader and role model in the global green energy transition. Its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions since 2010 have been reduced at greater pace than those of the European Union (EU) average. This transformation is all the more impressive, given that the country used to be a significant oil and gas producer which also relied heavily on coal for power generation. From its highly publicized success in offshore wind, to its ambitious goal of cutting GHG emissions by 70% by 2030 - which would put Denmark as a European and global frontrunner, with only Finland being more ambitious and planning to be climate neutral already by 2035 – as well as its pioneering green energy policies, the country has transformed itself into a beacon for low carbon technologies and public policies. The country has a record high share of renewable energy sources in power generation, with wind in the lead. Given the recent announcements and climate goals set by the Von der Leyen Commission, Denmark serves as an interesting case study for other European and world nations alike on how to embark on their own energy transitions. This paper assesses whether the country is really successful in accelerating even more than its European peers in its decarbonization process. And if so, what is so special about Denmark and what can be learned from its transformation? Policies range from well-publicized successes, such as the country’s ability to nearly rid itself from coal in its power mix in less than thirty years by increasingly developing its wind power potential, in leading the offshore wind segment and championing repowering, but also its lesser-known achievements, such as the diffusion of combined heat and power (CHP) and district heating across the country. Another success point of the country’s strategy relies in promoting energy efficiency in the industrial sector as well as its use of energy taxation for enhanced decarbonization, even in challenging sectors such as transportation. Questions remain open, especially concerning the sustainability credentials of biomass, a fuel which is a key component of the country’s energy mix, but also the future role of natural gas, which has an important balancing role in power generation, given the country decision to rid itself of oil and gas (O&G) production by the middle of the century. To a large extent, the Danish success story so far can be linked to a combination of socio-political factors including: a high level of stability and predictability in energy policy stemming from Denmark’s long historical tradition of broad energy agreements, a cross-sectoral and holistic approach to developing the nation’s energy policy involving a high level of participation from various public and private actors, a willingness to back innovative technologies, combined with generous public policy schemes in order to bring them to market-level competitiveness. Next frontiers will consist of large-scale carbon capture and sequestration projects, as well as low carbon energy islands. However, it would be somewhat reductive to simply equate Denmark’s success story to these previously mentioned factors. Indeed, the Scandinavian nation also benefits from certain geographical dispositions which are great assets for its path to decarbonization. For one, the country is ideally placed to develop variable renewable energy sources, most notably wind power given its topography and its strong wind resources. On top of this, Denmark also benefits from an incredibly reliable and interconnected power grid thereby making renewable energy integration into the wide energy system all the easier. In addition, the fact that its power grid is one of the most interconnected in Europe entails that excess renewable energy production can quickly be exported when the wind blows, just as imports can hastily be called upon when wind is found to be lacking. Finally, from a more socio-political perspective, the relatively flat social structure of Danish society as well as the country’s high level of institutional trust, makes policymaking and policy implementation simpler as well as more effective than in other European states. As such, although this paper identifies important lessons to be learnt from Denmark’s decarbonization strategies, the context as well as the particular characteristics of the country in which these were implemented should nevertheless be considered when seeking to establish similarly successful carbon reduction policies. In any case, Denmark is still far from coming close to achieving its objectives and will have to accelerate its decarbonization on all fronts: the country’s current total primary energy supply still relies for 60% on fossil fuels.
Topic:
Climate Change, Energy Policy, Decarbonization, and Green Deal
Political Geography:
Europe and Denmark