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Do the US’s 12 military bases in Norway pose a security risk to us?

The negotiations on the so-called “Agreed Facilities and Areas (AFA)” began, at the US initiative in 2018 under President Trump and Prime Minister Erna Solberg and led to 4 military bases in 2021. They were followed up by President Biden and Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, and in 2024 the US received an additional 8 military bases in Norway. It was not as it is portrayed afterwards that Norwegian politicians wanted permanent US bases in Norway, as a protection against Russia. The background was a pronounced American request to have US military forces in allied countries and secure American “security inetersts”, not Norwegian ones. This is the same argument used for the US annexation of Greenland. In addition to the 12 military bases in Norway, the US has, over the past 5 years, entered into similar agreements for 35 military bases in Denmark, Sweden and Finland, so the US (not NATO) now has 47 military bases in the Nordic countries. Ten years ago, there were no such bases in the Nordic countries. If we include the Baltics, the number is 65.

There are two big and important questions that need to be asked: Are these military bases? Do they ensure Norwegian security or do they pose a security risk to Norway?

Communiqué by the OPANAL Member States on the occasion of the 59th Anniversary of the Treaty of Tlatelolco

14 February 2026

The 33 Member States of the Agency for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America and the Caribbean (OPANAL):

1. Commemorate this day the 59th Anniversary of the adoption and opening for signature of the Treaty for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America and the Caribbean (Treaty of Tlatelolco), which established the first Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone in a densely populated area, has served as a source of inspiration for four other regions in the world and Mongolia.

2. Reiterate their deep concern over the threat to the survival of humankind posed by the existence of about 12,241 nuclear weapons1, as well as the catastrophic humanitarian impact and consequences of their use or any intentional or accidental detonation.

Joint Statement: 66 Years Since the First French Nuclear Explosion in Algeria

No Truth Without Transparency, No Justice Without Reparation

We, the undersigned organizations representing affected communities, Indigenous peoples, and advocates for the prohibition of nuclear weapons, environmental protection, human rights, and the promotion of peace, come together to commemorate the sixty-sixth anniversary of the first nuclear explosion carried out by France in the Algerian desert on 13 February 1960. On that day, France detonated its first nuclear bomb in Reggane under the name “Gerboise Bleue,” committing a historic wrongdoing that opened a dark chapter of human and environmental harm whose effects persist to this day.

Declaración: Alto a las amenazas y bloqueo a Cuba. Es mejor la Solidaridad

Queremos expresar nuestra más profunda solidaridad con el pueblo de Cuba, frente a las recientes agresiones políticas, económicas y diplomáticas de las que es objeto por parte del gobierno de los Estados Unidos. Estas acciones no son hechos aislados, sino parte de una política histórica de hostigamiento e injerencia que busca someter la soberanía de un país que ha decidido transitar un camino propio.

Sean Conner: “Venezuela represents a change in the tactics of war with immeasurable consequences”

02.02.26- Santiago, Chile – Pablo Ruiz Espinoza in Pressenza International

The attack on Venezuela by the United States and a series of threats, the application of sanctions and punishments, through blockades or the raising of tariffs, against Mexico, Cuba, Colombia, Iran, Canada, Greenland, among others, represent a clear threat to International Law, returning to the law of the strongest.

On the other hand, militarization continues in Europe, and four years will have passed since the start of the war in Ukraine, where efforts continue to perpetuate this conflict by sending more weapons and militarizing Europe itself.

On these topics, the following is an interview with Sean Conner, Executive Director of the International Peace Bureau (IPB). Conner holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Intercultural and Critical Communication Studies from the State University of New York at Geneseo and a Master of Arts degree in Intercultural Conflict Management.

Peace and Climate Circle – Regional Perspectives on the Interconnection between Militarization and Climate Justice in the Caribbean

The following report was written by La Ruta del Clima, a leading Latin American NGO on climate change, focused on political advocacy to promote citizen participation, with international recognition and standing.

On January 14, 2026, we began the year with an event that was deeply relevant to the political, social, and environmental context facing the region. This space aimed to make visible the interconnection between the climate crisis and the increase in vulnerability caused by processes of militarization in the Caribbean, promoting collective reflection and strengthening the active participation of civil society.

Boris Kagarlitsky awarded 2025 Seán MacBride Peace Prize:’Courage endures where repression tries to break the human spirit’

Media Statement By: Boris Kagarlitsky International Solidarity Campaign, January 29, 2026

The Boris Kagarlitsky International Solidarity Campaign is proud that Boris Kagarlitsky was awarded the 2025 Seán MacBride Peace Prize, in company with the brave Palestinian human rights activists, Hania Bitar and Randa Siniora.

The prize is awarded annually by the International Peace Bureau (IPB), of which Seán MacBride, co-founder of Amnesty International, was the chairperson from 1969 to 1974.

In her comment on the recipients of the prize, IPB co-president Corazon Valdez Fabros said: “In a world scarred by occupation, genocide, and war, Hania, Randa, and Boris light the path forward. They show us that peace is not the quiet after violence, but the fire of resistance to injustice. Their voices rise where others are silenced. Their courage endures where repression tries to break the human spirit. We honour them and the organizations and sectors they represent — and every person who believes that justice is the only path to peace.”

IPB Statement in Solidarity with Education International and Palestinian Educators

The International Peace Bureau (IPB) stands with Education International (EI) in condemning the Israeli occupation authorities for denying entry to, detaining, interrogating, and forcibly removing a delegation of education workers’ leaders who planned to mark the International Day of Education alongside Palestinian colleagues.

The actions of Israel demonstrate their increasing efforts to isolate Palestinians from international solidarity and support and must be unequivocally rejected. The IPB emphasizes that the right to education, academic freedom, trade union rights, and solidarity must be upheld for all peoples.

The IPB stands with Palestinian educators. We therefore join EI’s call on the international community to mobilize and speak out in defense of education, peace, freedom, and justice for Palestinians and those who stand in solidarity with them.

IPB_EI_29.01.2026 Download

The Doomsday Clock is now set at 85 seconds to midnight

For the first time in history, the symbolic clock has moved to its most perilous point ever—just 85 seconds from global catastrophe. This historic move was announced by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists’ Science and Security Board, citing a critical “failure of leadership” in the face of escalating existential threats.

The time was moved closer to midnight due to a dangerous convergence of crises in the past year:

Nuclear Risks: The collapse of arms control, three regional conflicts involving nuclear powers, and an accelerating arms race.
Climate Change: Record-breaking global temperatures and CO₂ levels, met with insufficient and often destructive policy responses.
Biological Threats: New warnings about “mirror life” and AI-aided pathogen design, alongside degraded public health defenses.
Disruptive Technologies: The unregulated rush to militarize AI and its role in supercharging global disinformation.

This is a wake-up call, not a verdict. As Maria Ressa, Nobel Laureate and Bulletin speaker, stated: “We cannot solve problems we cannot agree exist… The clock is ticking.”

The Bulletin outlines clear steps world leaders must take to turn back the Clock, including resuming nuclear diplomacy, enacting meaningful AI guidelines, and committing to science-based climate action.

Read the full 2026 Doomsday Clock Statement here and see what can be done.

Trump’s Board of Peace, the UN, Gaza and Opportunism

By Anuradha Chenoy

Anuradha Chenoy is an IPB Board member. The thoughts in this article are
her own and do not necessarily reflect those of the IPB.

Nothing can be more cynical than President Donald Trump’s proposal for a new “Board of Peace” (BoP). Marketed as an international peace-building organization, this initiative would enact a self-serving mechanism that bypasses established international institutions while offering a premium seat on the table of global affairs in exchange for a $1 billion membership fee.

The BoP originates from Security Council Resolution 2803, 2025, which calls for a comprehensive plan to end the Gaza conflict, establishing a transitional body until 2027. This resolution contains specific mandates: an international stabilization force to facilitate the Israeli Defense Forces’ withdrawal and the full resumption of humanitarian aid through UN cooperation.

While the BoP is presented as a nimble and effective peace-delivering body, its Charter nevertheless omits any mention of Gaza. Instead, it transforms the peacekeeping mandate of the 2803 Resolution into a self-serving and self-gratifying body that criticizes the United Nations. Trump’s claim of the need to depart from approaches and institutions that have too often failed is his way of delegitimizing the UN. This criticism of international institutions is consistent with the US withdrawal from approximately 60 UN bodies under Trump’s administration.

Trump: Self-proclaimed emperor of world peace

The BoP Charter establishes Trump as the “inaugural Chairman” and the US representative with extraordinary powers that effectively create a lifetime position. The Chairman possesses exclusive authority to create, modify or dissolve any entity within the BoP, control membership invitations and dismissals and designate successors. Only if the Chairman is incapacitated can the Executive Board unanimously decide on a replacement. In other words, these provisions essentially declare Trump the emperor of world peace with his handpicked council.

The founding Executive Board reveals the nature of his intents. Members include Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, builder friend Steve Witkoff, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, World Bank President Ajay Banga and billionaire private equity chief Marc Rowan, blending family connections, political allies and corporate power, exposing the BoP’s private interests.

The $1 billion fee

While member states will serve a three-year term, they can secure permanent seats for over $1 billion. This creates a two-level system, where wealthy states using taxpayer money can purchase permanent influence over international peace efforts. Member states will be the funders of the BoP, along with unspecified “organizations”, which will likely be major technology companies openly supporting Trump and profit from global affairs.

The Charter declares that the BoP possesses “international legal personality with authority to enter contracts for its missions and for financial purposes. Disputes between members will be solved through “amicable collaboration”, with the Chairman having the final say. For example, both India and Pakistan have been invited to join; they could resolve disputes here, with the Chairman having the final say. This framework privatizes international diplomacy, transforming peace-building into a commercial opportunity controlled by those who can afford its entry.

Gaza: a real estate opportunity

The White House announced a Gaza Executive Board consisting of Kushner, Witkoff, Blair, Bulgarian billionaire Nikolai Mladenov, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and Qatari diplomat Ali al-Thawadi. Israel has vociferously objected to the Turkish and Qatari names and is lobbying to reject this Board.

This Board will oversee a National Committee for the Administration of Gaza comprising Palestinian technocrats as administrators. What is notably absent from these arrangements is any reference to Palestinian rights, interests, rehabilitation, land, livelihood or statehood. The focus appears directed toward reconstruction contracts rather than justice or self-determination.

Meanwhile, the Israeli genocide continues in Gaza, sometimes under cover of other international events like Greenland’s fate or Ukraine’s dark bitter winter. On January 21, 2026, Israel seized and destroyed the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) for Palestine, a blatant violation of international law that leaves Gaza with minimum support for its besieged population. Gaza health authorities report 70,000 people have been killed in this strip, with survivors being traumatized and besieged. So, the reconstruction question becomes: who benefits from rebuilding what some consider prime Mediterranean real estate?

Global reactions to the BoP

Countries such as Pakistan, Israel, UAE, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Qatar, Argentina, Hungary and Belarus have announced their intent to join the BoP. These are countries hoping to secure lucrative reconstruction contracts while accessing Trump’s inner circle. Russia is considering using frozen European-held assets to pay the $1 billion permanence fee. France’s refusal to join has been met with immediate threats of 200% tariffs on French wine and champagne, which demonstrates the coercive element behind an allegedly voluntary entry.

Others are still mulling over the invitation. For countries like India to join and become party to a neo-colonial venture that resembles a theatre of the absurd would not be prudent. China, on the other hand, has emerged as the primary defender of multilateral institutions against Trump’s unilateral reconstruction of the world order.

The larger pattern

The BoP initiative follows Trump’s 20-point plan from October 2025, which envisioned Gaza as a real investment bonanza: a new Riviera on the Mediterranean for rich Arabs and others. This reveals the BoP’s true purpose is not genuine peace-building but creating mechanisms for US hegemonic control through privatized international relations that dismantle established institutions.

The fundamental question for the international community is how many countries will fall in line with Trump’s vision and who will resist. The ones that stand by the UN will be the historic winners in this game of cloak and dagger, while those who purchase seats at Trump’s table will contribute to the erosion of international law and be complicit in the commodification of human suffering.

References

Charter of the Board of Peace, Full Text, The Times of Israel, 18 January, 2026, at: https://www.timesofisrael.com/full-text-charter-of-trumps-board-of-peace/#:~:text=The%20following%20is%20the%20full,by%20US%20President%20Donald%20Trump.

United nations Security Council Resolution 2803 (2025) UN, New York, 17 November 29025 at: https://press.un.org/en/2025/sc16225.doc.htm#:~:text=Security%20Council%20Authorizes%20International%20Stabilization,Gaza%2C%20Adopting%20Resolution%202803%20(2025)&text=Adoption%20Marks%20’New%20Course’%20for,Middle%20East