- Ethics of international affairs
- Peacemaking
- Humanitarian action
- Security politics
- Digital technology
- Global governance
- International law
Kristoffer Lidén
Research Director
Email: kristoffer@prio.org
Mobile phone: (+47) 90 11 24 93
Interests and experience
Kristoffer Lidén is a Senior Researcher at the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO). Working on the ethics of international affairs, his research spans the topics of peacemaking, humanitarian action, security politics and digital technology. He holds a PhD in Philosophy and MA in Peace and Conflict Studies from the University of Oslo.
At PRIO he has led several international research projects, most recently on ethics in peace negotiations, humanitarian negotiations and national security. He has published widely on these topics, and has also co-edited journal special issues on peace research and liberal peacebuilding. Lidén is Deputy Editor of Security Dialogue, leads the Law and Ethics Research Group at PRIO, was Deputy Director of the Norwegian Centre for Humanitarian Studies 2019-2021, and coordinated the UiO-NTNU-PRIO Research School on Peace and Conflict from its inception in 2011 until 2017. His latest articles include ‘Ethics and the governance of digital data in humanitarian action’ (Disasters, 2025) and ‘Decentred dereliction in digital international relations: PeaceTech, ethics, and the cascading of moral responsibility’ (Review of International Studies, 2025).
Follow his work at www.linkedin.com/in/kristoffer-liden-prio
Projects
All of Kristoffer Lidén projects
The ethics of preparedness: questioning priorities in Norwegian policies of preparedness (PrepEthics)
How populist illiberal regimes shape gender norms in Europe (CONTEST)
Peace, Security and Global Digital Politics: ePOLITICS Initiative
Artificial Intelligence, Humanitarian Ideas and Discourse - KnowingAID
Red lines and grey zones: Exploring the ethics of humanitarian negotiation
Mediator as Gatekeeper
CO-DUTIES: Democratic Duties, Collective Action, and the Greater Good after COVID-19
Disruptive Security Technologies: Challenges to Norway’s Total Defence Concept
Critical Perspectives on Digital Peacebuilding
On Fair Terms: The Ethics of Peace Negotiations and Mediation (FAIR)
Latest publications
All of Kristoffer Lidén publications
Fairness in Peace Negotiations
Journal article in Etikk i praksis - Nordic Journal of Applied Ethics (EiP)
Sikkerhet, frihet og rettigheter: den demokratiske rettsstatens krevende balansekunst
Book chapter in Etter 22. juli. Overgangsrettferdighet og terror
Etter 22. juli. Overgangsrettferdighet og terror
Edited volume
Overgangsrettferdighet etter 22. juli
Book chapter in After 22 July. Transitional justice and terror
Lever vi i en permanent krise? Norge foran et veiskille
Popular article in High North News
Civic duties in the pandemic: An analysis of citizen responses to COVID-19 measures in Norway, France, and the UK
PRIO Policy Brief
Culture is a lens that helps us understand not just how we act, but how we perceive one another
Popular article in Humanitarian Alternatives
Decentred dereliction in digital international relations: PeaceTech, ethics, and the cascading of moral responsibility
Journal article in Review of International Studies
Ethics and the governance of digital data in humanitarian action
Journal article in Disasters
Ethical Questions in Peace Negotiations: A Guide
PRIO Policy Brief
Latest news
All of Kristoffer Lidén news
Looking for Horizon Europe partners? Explore PRIO’s new EU Matchmaking Guide
PRIO has developed a new EU Matchmaking Guide to support organisations preparing project proposals under Horizon Europe in identifying relevant researchers.
PRIO’s first European Security Week
PRIO’s first European Security Week brought together researchers and experts for a series of debates on the future of European security.
PRIO starts new publishing partnership with Oxford University Press
PRIO is excited to announce that its two flagship journals, Journal of Peace Research and Security Dialogue, are now being published by Oxford University Press.
Top 5 most-read PRIO policy briefs in 2025
The most-read PRIO policy briefs of 2025 covered key global conflict issues including Gaza’s humanitarian crisis, women’s exposure to violence, ethical challenges in peace processes and resource stress in fragile regions.
Security Dialogue welcomes new editorial team from 2026
From 1 January 2026, the international journal Security Dialogue will be led by a new editorial team based at its institutional home, PRIO.
PRIO secures new funding from RCN and ERC
PRIO researchers have recently been awarded grants for exciting new projects, from the Research Council of Norway (RCN) and the European Research Council (ERC).
PRIO secures funding for three ground-breaking projects
PRIO has successfully secured funding for three timely projects on authoritarian AI (mis)use, biodiversity financing politics and ethical dilemmas in Norway’s preparedness strategies.
PRIO at Arendalsuka 2024
Arendalsuka is an annual Norwegian political festival that brings together politicians, journalists, policy makers, aid organisations, civil society and the private sector.
Call for PhD-Level Course: Ethics in Humanitarian Negotiation and Mediation
PRIO invites applications for this course on Ethics in Humanitarian Negotiation and Mediation which will be taught online 23-27 September 2024. The application deadline is 15 June.
New papers and podcast on humanitarian negotiations
In the research project Red Lines and Grey Zones: Exploring the Ethics of Humanitarian Negotiation (RedLines) two papers and a new podcast episode have recently been published in collaboration with the Norwegian Centre for Humanitarian Studies (NCHS).
Latest events
All of Kristoffer Lidén events
Small problems, big solutions: The border politics of corporate patents
Human rights and peace: Building a legacy for future generations
Fredsdiplomati - hva nå?
Verdens første debatt om beredskapsetikk! Prioriteringer i den norske beredskapspolitikken
PRIO at Arendalsuka 2026
International security and the contribution of critical approaches to security and technology
"Making security public": A discussion around Security Dialogue’s new special issue
Can AI make peace mediation more inclusive? Opportunities and risks of digital technologies for the Women, Peace and Security agenda
What are the legal ripple effects of 22nd July?
The International Aid System in Shock: What Role for Research?
Latest comments
All of Kristoffer Lidén comments
How to make sense of the new world disorder
Seeing 22 July through transitional justice: what have we learned?
What are duties good for? Lessons from the pandemic
Protection of Civilians in Crisis: Geneva Conventions at 75
Ethical Dilemmas in Humanitarian Negotiations
Ungovernable or Humanitarian Experimentation? Generative AI as an Accountability Issue
When Are Economic Sanctions Morally Justified?
Nordic Noir: National Risk Assessments in Times of Peace and Pandemics
National Risk Assessments: a political vaccine against the next disaster?
Red Lines and Grey Zones: Ethical dilemmas in humanitarian negotiations and the need for a research agenda
Small problems, big solutions: The border politics of corporate patents
Fredsdiplomati - hva nå?
Verdens første debatt om beredskapsetikk! Prioriteringer i den norske beredskapspolitikken
International security and the contribution of critical approaches to security and technology
"Making security public": A discussion around Security Dialogue’s new special issue
Culture and the ethics of humanitarian negotiations
In this online roundtable, the contributors share their reflections on the role of culture in humanitarian negotiations and how it relates to their ethical dimension.
From Shock to Strategic Thinking: What Now for the Aid Sector and a Leading Donor Like Norway?
The ethics of localisation in humanitarian action (Part 1)
Since the 2016 World Humanitarian Summit, localisation has been firmly on the agenda. This roundtable discussion explores the ethics of the localisation of humanitarian action.
Jan Egeland on humanitarian negotiations
In this episode of the Talking Humanitarianism podcast, Jan Egeland, Secretary General of the Norwegian Refugee Council shares his experiences with humanitarian negotiations, particularly in Afghanistan and Syria.
Ethics and the global distribution of vaccines during Covid-19: A conversation with Professor Jonathan Wolff
This virtual roundtable explores the role of moral duties in Western responses to Covid-19 and vaccine distribution, and lessons for the ethics of humanitarian action.
Red lines for humanitarian aid in Afghanistan
Organised by PRIO and the NCHS, this virtual roundtable examined where to draw red lines for humanitarian aid to Afghanistan following the ban on women aid workers.
The Ethics of Humanitarian Neutrality in Syria
Organised by PRIO and the NCHS, this virtual roundtable examined the principle and practice of humanitarian neutrality during the Syrian civil war since 2011.
In the media
PRIO researcher Kristoffer Lidén was interviewed by Cadena SER, Spain's most listened-to radio station, about why peace is failing around the world.
PRIO researcher Kristoffer Liden wrote an opinion piece about the moral choices behind Norwegian rearmament which was published in the Norwegian newspaper, Morgenbladet.
PRIO Researchers Kristin Bergtora Sandvik and Kristoffer Lidén penned an opinion piece analyzing the use of artificial intelligence in the humanitarian sector, which was published by the Norwegian aid magazine, Panorama.
PRIO Researchers Kristin Bergtora Sandvik and Kristoffer Lidén wrote an opinion piece on generative AI as an accountability issue in humanitarian governance, that was published in Global Policy.
PRIO started listing media appearances on profiles in 2023. Earlier media appearances may not be listed.