‘Preventing Crises, Resolving Conflicts, Building Peace’ are key challenges for Germany’s and Europe’s evolving international role. Berlin is investing in the field, both financially and conceptually. On this blog, we discuss how to target these investments towards better crisis prevention, conflict management and peacebuilding. Most contributions are in German, but we occasionally ask international experts for their views. This section collects contributions in English. You are warmly invited to join the discussion: Subscribe to our weekly email-updates (in German), share and comment on posts on social media (@PeaceLabBlog, #PeaceLab), read our summary of the preceding “PeaceLab2016” debate or send us an email at peacelab@gppi.net.
Artikel Defence and Deterrence in Europe: Beyond Multilateralism as We Know It Multilateralism has reached its limits as a guiding principle for relations with Russia in security and defence. Germany should open up to multilateral military cooperation formats in addition to NATO to reinforce deterrence and defence on the eastern flank and to strengthen regional security. This requires an increase in defence spending and in military engagement. Justyna Gotkowska • 26 November 2020
Artikel Multilateralism: A View From Poland If multilateralism is in crisis today, it is because individual states turn away from it. Democracies should do their part to mitigate this by defending the values intrinsic to multilateralism. To make its White Paper a success, Germany should pursue new formats of multilateral cooperation across continents and sectors, and tap into the potential of existing ones. Maciej Pisarski • 17 December 2020
Artikel Managing the Risks of Stabilization: Germany’s New Assessment Tool Investing money to prevent crises, support stabilization, and build peace carries major risks. Taking such risks is necessary to achieve anything, but they need to be professionally managed. How does the German government’s new “stabilization risk assessment” tool compare to other approaches, and what may other actors learn from it? Philipp Rotmann • 12 January 2021
Artikel Germany, Multilateralism and the Climate Crisis: How Cooperation Can Strengthen Climate Policy For climate policy to be successful, cooperation among big emitters is essential. Germany should use its political weight to help bring initiatives in the EU and the G20 to fruition while initiating and strengthening alliances aiming at concrete transformative measures and innovation. It can also help build knowledge systems that are fit for instigating and supporting change. Camilla Bausch • 16 December 2020
Artikel A Cooperative Brand of Sovereignty for Multilateralism In its new White Paper, Germany should promote a cooperative brand of sovereignty, support multi-stakeholder approaches, and strengthen the EU’s role in the multilateral system. As multilateralism is an instrument shaping the global order, Berlin should push for reforms on the climate crisis and security, and seize the COVID-19 crisis as an opportunity to forge a new global consensus. Manuel Lafont Rapnouil • 14 December 2020
Artikel Multilateralism Needs Reinventing, Not Resurrecting The multilateralism of the second half of the 20th century has become outdated, and no viable alternative has been found. Instead of trying to go back to old principles, governments should reinvent a multilateralism that is viable under current conditions: a project-based multilateralism that is inclusive to non-state actors, with shared values as a goal, not a precondition. Andrey Kortunov • 07 December 2020
Artikel New Rules of Multilateralism: Minilateral and Multilateral Formats in the Indo-Pacific and Beyond Germany’s engagement in the Indo-Pacific has relied on bilateral efforts with major countries in the region. Such efforts should now be supplemented with flexible mini- and multilateral formats of cooperation centred around like-minded partners. The success or failure of these formats in the Indo-Pacific will be crucial for multilateralism beyond the region. Michito Tsuruoka • 03 December 2020
Veranstaltungsbericht Summary Report: The Annual Conference of the Advisory Board for Civilian Crisis Prevention and Peacebuilding On 2 October 2020, the Advisory Board to the Federal Government for Civilian Crisis Prevention and Peacebuilding hosted its second annual conference in a virtual format. Under the motto “What do Crises Teach us?” almost 300 participants discussed the lessons learned from the EU’s and Germany’s civilian crisis prevention, above all in the Sahel region. A review. Advisory Board to the Federal Government for Civilian Crisis Prevention and Peacebuilding • 02 December 2020
Artikel S3E6 | The EU’s Policies on Conflict Prevention and Peacebuilding in Africa For this episode of PeacebyPeace, Sarah Brockmeier spoke to Professor Gilbert M. Khadiagala of the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg about his views on EU policies on conflict prevention, stabilization, and peacebuilding in Africa. PeacebyPeace • 23 November 2020
Artikel Expectations from Norway for Germany’s Role in the Multilateral “Wende” For its new White Paper on multilateralism, Germany can learn from Norway’s experiences. The White Paper should reach out to a wide audience, aim for cross-regional partnerships, include an honest picture of limitations, and encourage reforms of existing organisations rather than developing new mechanisms. Cooperation within the EU and promoting liberal values should be at its core. Kjetil Elsebutangen • 19 November 2020
Artikel Universal Multilateralism: How Germany Could Shape the New World Order With its White Paper on Multilateralism, the German government could usher in a new era of international cooperation. To do so, it should demonstrate change leadership and initiate a global discussion on a new, truly universal multilateralism that helps tackle pressing issues through a whole-of-government approach and is a guarantor of states’ sovereign equality. Inge Kaul • 17 November 2020
Artikel Protecting Multilateralism Against Anti-Globalists: The Case of Brazil Nationalist leaders like Brazil’s Bolsonaro who attack multilateralism for electoral gain at home still largely get away with it as they face little negative repercussions. Europe and Germany should make trade agreements and accession to the OECD conditional on more responsible and multilateral policies and target local elites with diplomatic pressure campaigns. Oliver Stuenkel • 05 November 2020
Artikel German Policewomen in Peace Operations: Understanding and Overcoming Barriers To permanently increase the number of German policewomen in foreign deployments and to prioritize gender issues, German decision-makers should systematically examine and address specific obstacles for policewomen, expand gender aspects in preparatory training courses, and promote greater exchange with and between women returning from missions. Nina Steinitz • 29 October 2020
Artikel The EU and China Should Strengthen Their Cooperation to Advance Multilateralism Multilateralism today is endangered by the great power rivalry between the United States and China. To advance multilateralism, the EU and China should expand their cooperation, including on climate change, global health, and reforming existing multilateral institutions. It is important to include middle powers and non-state actors into such reform efforts. Dingding Chen, Yu Xia • 26 October 2020
Artikel Europe Should Be a Catalyst for Multilateral Order in the Indo-Pacific Trump’s aversion to multilateralism has opened the space for Europe to take on a pivotal role in the Indo-Pacific: Europe, including Germany, should coordinate the disparate international initiatives and support the development of a single, multilateral framework for the region. This framework could mitigate the great power rivalry and deliver important public goods, including connectivity, maritime security, and trade. Go Myong-Hyun • 21 October 2020
Artikel Sometimes Multilateralism Is Not the Solution A look at the conflicts in the European neighborhood shows: Multilateral responses are often needed – but not always. Multilateralism to the south and east should be promoted only when it contributes to addressing fragility and conflict. It is in the fine grain of whether, how, and what form of multilateralism we should promote that the conversation should unfold. Nathalie Tocci • 19 October 2020
Artikel An Opportunity for Germany to Lead a Global Multilateralism Reset To pursue their vision of a rules-based international order, Germany and the EU should increase their cooperation with African countries and the AU, as the continent is deeply invested in multilateralism. In doing so, Germany, the EU and African partners should focus on peace and security, democracy, economic development and climate emergencies. Ottilia Anna Maunganidze • 12 October 2020
Artikel Small Steps Along the Contact Line: Local Approaches to Peace in Donbas A political settlement of the conflict in eastern Ukraine in the near-term seems out of reach. Therefore, Germany should support the Ukrainian government with stabilisation measures that do not depend on agreement with Russia – such as enhanced communication with conflict-affected populations – and feed the results of local dialogue initiatives into official negotiations. Anonymous Author • 09 October 2020
Artikel More Than Counting Shots: Working Towards a More Effective OSCE in Ukraine The implementation of the mandate of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine is centred on ceasefire monitoring at the expense of economic, environmental, or human rights concerns. Germany should advocate for a more balanced focus within the mission, suggest longer reporting cycles, and request a comprehensive conflict analysis to refocus efforts. Johanna Suhonen • 23 September 2020
Artikel The German Conversation on Multilateralism: An Inside-Outside Perspective German discussions about multilateralism have mostly ignored the issue of weaponised interdependence and focussed on minor-level reforms. Yet ignoring such a fundamental issue, while papering over the cracks, risks damaging the system even further. Germany and Europe should at least consider pursuing a limited membership multilateralism based on shared values (such as democracy, liberalism and pluralism) and closely integrated production chains involving like-minded allies and partners. Amrita Narlikar • 21 September 2020
Artikel Use Connectivity to Strengthen Multilateral Cooperation in the EU’s Neighbourhood To strengthen multilateralism in their own neighbourhood, Germany and the EU should pursue connectivity strategies with their Eastern and Southern neighbours. These could create the links between the EU’s neighbours that previous partnership agreements have failed to establish. They should include political and security dimensions for states to feel connected to the EU in a political sense. Sven Biscop • 15 September 2020
