Nobel Peace Center

Nobel Peace Talks - The Dictator’s Playbook

Democracies are often attacked from within, step by step. What does it look like when the democracy is under attack, and what is it like to live under authoritarian rule? Authoritarian leaders across the world use the same strategy to gain power and keep control. What strategies do they use and how can we recognize attacks on democracy? Meet three people with experience from living under authoritarian rule, and one of Norway’s leading democracy researchers: Darya Shut, political scientist, author and activist from Belarus. She is the co-founder of the Belarusian association in Norway – Razam and author of the book “The Prize of Liberty”, where she describes how it is to grow up in an authoritarian regime.  Ramon Barreto, lawyer, political scientist and activist from Venezuela. Barreto is a PhD Candidate at Oslo Met and member of Norwegian Venezuelan Justice Alliance (NorVen). Hamidreza Mohammadi, teacher and translator from Iran and the brother of Narges Mohammadi, Nobel Peace Prize laureate 2023. Narges Mohammadi received the prize for her fight for women’s rights and human rights in Iran and is imprisoned by the regime.  Carl Henrik Knutsen, Professor at the Department of Political Science, University of Oslo, where he leads the Comparative Institutions and Regimes research group. He is also Professor II at the University of South-Eastern Norway, Affiliated Researcher at the Norwegian Nobel Institute and Principal Investigator at Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem).  Moderator: Jette F. Christensen, foreign and security analyst for Altinget, political scientist, author, and former Member of Parliament (2010–2021). Democratic backsliding is her professional field. The event is part of the series Nobel Peace Talks, focusing on topics related to the latest Nobel Peace Prize. With the peace prize awarded to Maria Corina Machado as backdrop, we discuss developments in Venezuela, the global consequences, and the state of democracy in the world.

Nobel Peace Talks: Dialogens rolle når makta rår

I 2026 har vi våknet til en verden der makt trumfer rett: Hva skjer med internasjonalt diplomati og dialog nå? I Venezuela fjernet USA diktatoren Nicolas Maduro med makt. I Iran slås demonstrantene brutalt ned, mens president Trump truer med å gripe inn med våpen mot regimet. Ser vi slutten på en regelstyrt verdensorden basert på internasjonal lov? Er diplomati og dialog fortsatt mulig når makta rår? Hva skal til for at folk på bakken i Venezuela, Iran og andre land rammet av konflikt skal få det bedre? Og hva kan verdenssamfunnet lære av involveringen i Afghanistan? Du møter: • Arne Strand, Seniorforsker ved Chr. Mikkelsens Institutt • Johan Vibe, direktør ved NOREF • Ayesha Wolasmal, diplomat, journalist og forfatter av boken "Tusen dager med Taliban" • Kristian Berg Harpviken, direktør for det Norske Nobelinstitutt Samtalen blir moderert av Kjersti Fløgstad, direktør ved Nobels Fredssenter. En del av Nobel Peace Talks: Nobel Peace Talks er en arrangementsserie med temaer knyttet til siste års fredspris. I 2026 snakker vi om utviklingen i Venezuela, de globale konsekvensene og demokratiets stilling i verden.

Witness Testimony nr. 8

Nagasaki, age 40, male, 0.5 km from the epicenter. Nihon Hidankyo, the organization of atomic bomb survivors from Hiroshima and Nagasaki, received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2024. Their wish is for their stories to live on. In 1985–86, they gathered over 1,000 survivor testimonies in the book The Witness of Those Two Days, based on the question: "What, from that day and after, is most vividly imprinted on your memory? What still fills you with fear or regret?" Eight of these testimonies are featured in the Nobel Peace Prize exhibition 2024, A Message to Humanity, at the Nobel Peace Center. This is an attempt to share the cries of human hearts and honor Nihon Hidankyo's mission to share their stories with the world. We hope that by listening to these testimonies, you will share them with those close to you and help prevent future nuclear devastation.

Witness Testimony nr. 7

Nagasaki, age 8, female, 2 km from the epicenter. Nihon Hidankyo, the organization of atomic bomb survivors from Hiroshima and Nagasaki, received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2024. Their wish is for their stories to live on. In 1985–86, they gathered over 1,000 survivor testimonies in the book The Witness of Those Two Days, based on the question: "What, from that day and after, is most vividly imprinted on your memory? What still fills you with fear or regret?" Eight of these testimonies are featured in the Nobel Peace Prize exhibition 2024, A Message to Humanity, at the Nobel Peace Center. This is an attempt to share the cries of human hearts and honor Nihon Hidankyo's mission to share their stories with the world. We hope that by listening to these testimonies, you will share them with those close to you and help prevent future nuclear devastation.

Witness Testimony nr. 6

Nagasaki, age 8, female, 2 km from the epicenter. Nihon Hidankyo, the organization of atomic bomb survivors from Hiroshima and Nagasaki, received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2024. Their wish is for their stories to live on. In 1985–86, they gathered over 1,000 survivor testimonies in the book The Witness of Those Two Days, based on the question: "What, from that day and after, is most vividly imprinted on your memory? What still fills you with fear or regret?" Eight of these testimonies are featured in the Nobel Peace Prize exhibition 2024, A Message to Humanity, at the Nobel Peace Center. This is an attempt to share the cries of human hearts and honor Nihon Hidankyo's mission to share their stories with the world. We hope that by listening to these testimonies, you will share them with those close to you and help prevent future nuclear devastation.