‘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 European Vision and Ambition Needed: Italy and Germany Must Promote a Global EU Response to COVID-19 How the EU of today deals with the COVID-19 crisis will determine the Union of tomorrow. The EU should invest in the resilience of fragile states in its neighborhood, strengthen multilateral institutions and reflect the necessary external solidarity in its Multi Annual Financial Framework. The fundamental principles of the European Union are at stake. Tobias Bunde, Ferdinando Nelli Feroci, Boris Ruge, Nathalie Tocci • 29 April 2020
Artikel COVID-19 Is a Window of Opportunity For Peacebuilding – Use It! In the past, shocks comparable to COVID-19 have created windows of opportunity for local and international stakeholders. The German government should seize this chance by investing in online communication for ongoing peace negotiations, increasing incentives for inclusive politics, supporting information campaigns on the virus, and dedicating funding to women entrepreneurs. Nadine Ansorg, Julia Strasheim • 29 April 2020
Artikel Women in Ukraine’s Military: An Opportunity for Change Since 2014, the number of women in the Ukrainian military has drastically increased. Local civil society has been promoting gender equality in Ukraine’s security sector from the bottom up. International actors should do the same: Germany needs to support the promotion of women to higher ranks as well as gender-sensitive programs for demobilization and reintegration. Hanna Hrytsenko • 28 April 2020
Artikel Atrocity Prevention and COVID-19 The COVID-19 pandemic will lead to an increase in identity-based violence around the world. States such as the UK and Germany should integrate prevention analysis into COVID-19 policies and decision-making, leverage existing identity-based violence and atrocity prevention mechanisms, and support new means of convening and holding virtual dialogue. Kate Ferguson • 24 April 2020
Artikel COVID-19 in the Sahel: Berlin Should Use This Moment for a Reset The countries of the Sahel now face a triple threat: the pandemic, climate change, and conflict. German policymakers should urgently increase humanitarian funding. But Berlin should also look beyond the pandemic and use this moment to re-evaluate a European policy approach that has failed to stabilize the region. Nadia Ahidjo, Bram Dijkstra, Delina Goxho • 23 April 2020
Artikel More Women, More Peace: Opportunities at the EU Level The upcoming German EU Council presidency provides the opportunity to advance the women, peace, and security agenda at the EU level. The German government should seize this chance by advocating for formal Council conclusions, setting up a dedicated Council Working Group, and organizing a High Level Ministerial Conference on women, peace, and security. Hannah Neumann • 22 April 2020
Artikel A Comprehensive Understanding of Security Sector Governance Makes for More Effective Reform Germany has shown an increasing interest in and support for security sector reform (SSR) in recent years. It should use its leadership role in the EU’s civilian Common Security and Defense Policy, the fields of Disaster Risk Reduction, and mediation to include them into its programming, thereby promoting a comprehensive approach to security sector governance. Viola Csordas, Camilla Arvastson • 21 April 2020
Artikel Seeing Refugee Women as Resources, Not as Victims Women who are refugees or internally displaced people have been largely excluded from the Women, Peace, and Security agenda. Germany’s new National Action Plan should focus on increasing their participation in peace processes and evaluate policies aimed at their protection both in Germany and abroad. Elizabeth Ferris • 08 April 2020
Artikel Corona-PeaceLab: How Do We Need to Adapt Crisis Prevention and Peacebuilding? The coronavirus pandemic has plunged the world into a crisis that will affect all policy areas. The German government is seeking your ideas: "PeaceLab" offers an established platform for debate on how the pandemic affects crisis prevention, conflict resolution and peacebuilding. PeaceLab editorial team • 03 April 2020
Artikel Protecting Women Human Rights Defenders: Leveraging the German-African Union Partnership To link human rights mechanisms to the agenda on Women, Peace, and Security, Germany should reinforce its support to the African Union’s engagement in peace and security. Building on existing African women’s mediator and leadership networks, Berlin should dedicate funds to the work of women human rights defenders and the development of a database highlighting their efforts and challenges. Toni Haastrup, Miriam Mona Müller • 24 March 2020
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
