Lundestad studied history at theUniversity of Oslo andUniversity of Tromsø, graduating in 1970 with acand.philol. degree and in 1976 with a doctorate respectively. From 1974 to 1990, he held various positions as Lecturer and Professor at the University of Tromsø before beginning his positions with the Norwegian Nobel Institute and Committee. Subsequently, he was associated with the University of Oslo as anAdjunct Professor of International History. Lundestad spent several years in the United States as aresearch fellow, atHarvard University, from 1978 to 1979 and again in 1983, and at theWoodrow Wilson Center inWashington, D.C., between 1988 and 1989.[2]
From 1990 to 2014, he served as the director ofNorwegian Nobel Institute, as well as being secretary ofNorwegian Nobel Committee. During this period, Nobel Institute became a significant institution for research oncontemporary history, where Lundestad contributed in his capacity as expert on American history andCold War. He was also a proponent for establishingNobel Peace Center, which opened in 2005.[1]
"Empire " by Integration: The United States and European Integration 1945–1997. (Oxford, 1998.)[1] Japanese edition 2005.
No End to Alliance. The United States and Western Europe: Past, Present, and Future. (edited by Lundestad, Macmillan 1998.)[1]
'Imperial Overstretch', Mikhail Gorbachev, and the End of the Cold War (edited by Lundestad, 2000)[citation needed]
“The Nobel Peace Prize” in Agneta Wallin Levinovitz and Nils Ringertz, eds.,The Nobel Prize. The First 100 Years. (London – Singapore, 2001).[citation needed]
War and Peace in the 20th Century and Beyond. (edited with Olav Njølstad, Singapore, 2002)[citation needed]
The United States and Western Europe Since 1945: From “Empire” by Invitation to Transatlantic Drift. (Oxford, 2003, paperback 2005), Norwegian edition 2004.[1]
Just Another Major Crisis? The United States and Europe Since 2000. (edited by Lundestad, Oxford 2008)[citation needed]
The Rise and Decline of the American "Empire". Power and its Limits in Comparative Perspective. (Oxford, 2012)[1]
International Relations Since the end of the Cold War. New & Old Dimensions in International Relations. (edited by Lundestad, Oxford, 2013)[citation needed]
'The World's Most Prestigious Prize: The Inside Story of the Nobel Peace Prize'. Oxford, United Kingdom ; New York, NY: Oxford University Press. 2019.ISBN978-0-19-884187-6.
