Welcome to the Asia Programme, now IFS Asia, at the Norwegian Institute for Defence Studies.
The international balance of power is in a period of transition, and increased rivalry between the United States and China will shape international relations for decades to come. Economic, military, and technological power is concentrating in Asia, creating uncertainty about the future international system and order. This geopolitical development is altering the framework for transatlantic cooperation as well as for Norwegian security, foreign policy, and defence planning.
IFS Asia, or the Asia Programme at the Norwegian Institute for Defence Studies, has over the last fifteen years become a gathering point and network for researchers and institutions in Asia, Europe, and the United States. Our goal is to contribute to knowledge and debate about shifts in power and geopolitical developments, as well as military, strategic, and political changes in Asia.
The programme is today run by the three-year research project SPA II, formerly SPA I. SPA II involves a significant number of international partners and researchers from Europe, the United States, and Asia. Additionally, the programme is made up of the NUPI-led collaborative Norwegian Centre for Geopolitics and the individual research project China’s Quest for Regional Hegemony, as well as the two doctoral research projects Outer Space as a Warfighting Domain, and Alliances in a New Bipolar System.
The Norwegian Institute for Defence Studies (IFS) is a department at The Norwegian Defence University College (FHS). Through IFS Asia, we aim to contribute to a research-based knowledge foundation for professional debates both within academia and beyond. The programme is a resource for decision-makers in the Armed Forces, Norwegian government agencies, and the state apparatus.
