‘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 Searching for a Strategy: Germany in the Sahel The German answer to French requests for military support to the anti-terror operations in the Sahel should not be a simple “Yes” or “No”. Berlin needs to put forward a more comprehensive political strategy. This should include coordinated pressure on the Malian government to implement the peace agreement and a stronger focus on rebuilding local governance. Anna Schmauder • 23 March 2020
Artikel Sudan's Transition: A Strategic Opportunity for the German Government The stability of the wider East African region depends on the success of Sudan's transitional government. The German government should prioritize supporting Khartoum in the handling of subsidies and in strengthening the country's middle class. To succeed in this, Berlin needs to ensure coherence between short-term crisis prevention and longer-term development cooperation. Philipp Jahn • 19 March 2020
Artikel Want Better Policymaking on Conflicts and Crises? Support Independent Journalism Fewer and fewer journalists are covering international conflicts. This is a serious problem: A lack of media attention leads to low public awareness and understanding of conflicts, and to worse policy responses. For policymakers looking to improve communication on crisis prevention, stabilisation, and peacebuilding, supporting independent media coverage would go a long way. Heba Aly • 18 March 2020
Artikel Harnessing the Power of Women’s Organizations at the Grassroots Women are spearheading social and political change in many African countries, often using creative ways of organizing themselves to circumvent power structures. Germany should realize their potential as political partners and support their work by adapting funding structures to unusual modes of feminist organizing. Daniel Wegner, Rosebell Kagumire • 09 March 2020
Artikel Germany’s Support to Security Sector Reform in Yemen: Focus on the Relationship between the Police and Civil Society The security sector in Yemen is extremely fragmented. Germany’s support to security sector reform in the country requires a deeper understanding of command structures, political interests of local police forces and drivers of change. Germany and the EU should provide capacity building for the police forces and simultaneously incentivize them to cooperate with civil society initiatives. Mareike Transfeld • 18 February 2020
Artikel The Art of Crisis Prevention: Maritime Security in the Red Sea & the Gulf of Aden At this year’s Munich Security Conference, a special PeaceLab is taking place for the second time: a diplomatic table top exercise during which participants are invited to test different strategies for regional and international actors to work together on maritime security in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. PeaceLab editorial team • 14 February 2020
Artikel Why Berlin needs a positive narrative for Germany’s role in the world Germany should take on more responsibility internationally. To effectively communicate why that is the case, German policymakers do not only need a communication strategy: They need to develop a positive narrative for Germany’s role in the world. Joseph Verbovszky • 21 January 2020
Artikel Mission Impossible? Creating a Dialogue between Research, Policy and Practice Communities Creating a collaborative and inspiring dialogue between academics, policymakers, and practitioners isn’t easy but it’s not impossible. The authors learned eight lessons on how to facilitate engagement by carefully selecting your topics, goals, and guests as well as by mixing different methods and choosing the right setting. Govinda Clayton, Simon J. A. Mason, Siri Aas Rustad, Julia Palik • 15 January 2020
Artikel Integrating Contrasting Approaches: Civil–Military Cooperation in CSDP Faced with ever more complex conflicts, the EU needs to overcome the civil-military divide within its Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP). It’s time to develop a comprehensive strategy that bridges the gap between military and civilian CSDP and clarifies the role of increasingly influential law enforcement agencies. France and Germany should take the lead. Carolyn Moser • 07 January 2020
Artikel Roma in the Western Balkans: A Radical Shift in Policy is needed Despite various EU initiatives, the situation of the Roma population in the Western Balkans has hardly improved in recent years. It is time for a radical rethinking in Berlin and Brussels: both need to recognize antigypsyism as the root cause of discrimination against Roma, develop new measures to fight it and create concrete prospects for Roma in the local labor market. Stephan Müller • 19 December 2019
Artikel People, not territories! New Approaches Needed in the Western Balkans Reconciliation and durable peace between Kosovo and Serbia currently lack the political will of all parties. To support peacebuilding efforts in the region the EU and Germany should take a decisive stance on two issues: focus peace talks on people, not on border changes, and support democracy, rather than tolerate authoritarian tendencies in the name of stability. Nenad Vukosavljević • 12 December 2019
Artikel Strengthening Conflict Prevention: An Agenda for Germany’s EU Presidency During its EU Council presidency, Germany should boost the EU’s attention to conflict prevention. Berlin should share its own lessons on getting better at preventing violent conflicts, promote more exchange between thematic experts on conflict prevention and country experts, and encourage more adequate human resources arrangements across the EU. Anna Penfrat • 10 December 2019
Artikel From Paper to Practice: Working Towards Gender-Transformative Programming Germany‘s new interministerial strategies on Promoting the Rule of Law, Security Sector Reform, and Transitional Justice all include gender-responsive language. The Federal Government should now ensure that gender will figure prominently in the implementation process by investing in training and taking steps towards gender-responsive and -transformative programming. Christina Bermann-Harms, Melanie Coni-Zimmer, Sonja Katharina Schiffers • 20 November 2019
Artikel Countering Fake News? Learn from Cognitive Science! Cognitive science has shown that if people know that they might be misled before any misinformation is presented, they become more resilient to being misinformed. To successfully debunk fake news, the German government could enhance its horizon scanning capabilities to identify the strategies and tools of disinformers. It should also support NGOs that tackle misinformation. Stephan Lewandowsky • 05 November 2019
Artikel Germany’s EU Council Presidency: Kick-Starting the Search for European Security under Multipolarity Strengthening the EU’s Common Security and Defense Policy should be a top priority for the German Presidency of the EU Council in 2020. Berlin should step up its partnership with France, stick to its PESCO commitments and help initiate big picture thinking about European defense, including a more constructive discussion about European strategic autonomy. Barbara Kunz • 24 October 2019
Artikel Strategic Communications in Conflict and Stabilisation Interventions During recent years, communications have evolved into an integral component of UK conflict and stabilisation interventions. This article presents excerpts of a 2016 paper by the UK Stabilisation Unit that aims to provide practical advice about strategic communications in conflict and stabilisation interventions. Stabilisation Unit • 17 October 2019
Artikel Better Early than Sorry: How the EU Can Use its Early Warning Capacities to their Full Potential The European Union has put instruments and tools in place to improve its early warning mechanisms. Member states must now work with EU institutions to make them more effective. One concrete step that Germany could take is to push the new EU leadership to regularly put countries ‘at risk’ on the agenda of the Foreign Affairs Council. Lisa Musiol • 09 October 2019
Artikel A National Solution to the Algerian Crisis? There is great concern about outside interference in the current situation in Algeria, tying the hands of external actors. The German government is best advised to offer indirect support through the African Union and Tunisian civil society actors. It should take a decisive stance against human rights violations and stop arms exports into the country. Isabelle Werenfels, Luca Miehe • 20 September 2019
Artikel The EU and the Balkans: Moving beyond Failure Over the last years, EU policy towards the Balkans has contributed to – rather than mitigated – instability in the region. It is time for a policy shift. Under its new foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, the EU needs to take a decisive stand against any attempted border changes in the region. Germany should lead this effort. Toby Vogel • 11 September 2019
Artikel EU Weapons Exports Will Backfire The European Peace Facility (EPF) is designed to make EU foreign policy stronger and more flexible. However, handing weapons to volatile states comes with great risk. The EU’s resources would be better spent on UN Peace Operations and independent monitoring of arms flows. Klem Ryan • 27 August 2019
Artikel Discover the Security Council’s Informal Tool for Crisis Management As a member of the UN Security Council, Germany should convene Arria-formula meetings more frequently to address specific impending crises and conflicts. In doing so, it should also strengthen cooperation with countries from the Global South. This would grant additional expertise and flexibility to the Council and diversify the included voices and preferences. Melanie Coni-Zimmer, Anton Peez • 19 August 2019
