‘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 10 Tips for Increasing Political Engagement for SSR In a recent post on the ISSAT blog, Thammy Evans explains what a more political approach to security sector reform requires. The problem is not a lack of political will in Host Nations per se, she writes. It is much more a matter of where existing political will is directed, and how it can be incentivized to enable effective and accountable reform of the security sector. Thammy Evans • 29. September 2016
Artikel Tough but Essential: Germany's Political Engagement with Crisis Prevention in Africa In recent years, Germany has stepped up its engagement in Africa, notably in Mali. But there is room for improvement: In concert with the EU, UN and regional partners, Germany should lead the way to a more strategic political engagement with crisis prevention on the continent. Comfort Ero • 22. September 2016
Artikel Relationship Advice for Crisis Managers When a crisis looms, relationships with political leaders in countries at risk can tip the scales for or against violence. Germany needs to get better at analyzing what drives decision-makers and urge its diplomats, NGOs and political foundations to build trust and lasting relationships with political leaders in fragile states. Richard Gowan • 15. September 2016
Artikel Paris to Berlin: Just Do It! France appreciates Germanys willingness to engage in Africa, and to send not just cash but also military assets. As Berlin rethinks its stabilisation doctrine, the key lesson from Paris is not to shy away from the core political and security issuesand to take necessary risks, including military ones. Manuel Lafont Rapnouil • 25. August 2016
Artikel Creating Fit-for-Purpose Peacebuilding Evaluation: Three Key Investments Monitoring and evaluation (M&E) processes for conflict prevention programs need to be adapted to their unstable and fluid contexts. Donors should build closer partnerships with implementers, provide adequate resources for (shared) data collection, and develop indicators to make credible long-term claims. Andrew Blum • 18. August 2016
Artikel Germany Should Prioritize Mass Atrocity Prevention More resources and diplomatic imagination are needed to achieve an equilibrium shift away from crisis response and towards conflict prevention. Berlin should use its flexible and well-regarded diplomacy to strengthen the global commitment to the Responsibility to Protect and focus on the practical means to prevent mass atrocities. Simon Adams • 11. August 2016
Artikel Trusted in the East, Germany Should Lead More in the South Instead of hunkering down behind fences, Europe needs to engage with the huge challenges and opportunities of Africa. Germany is uniquely positioned to reconcile such a focus with a continuing commitment to the Eastern neighborhood, and thus mobilize the whole of Europe for conflict prevention. Jean-Marie Guéhenno • 21. Juli 2016
Veranstaltungsbericht Implementing the SDGs in Fragile Countries On 8 July, the Civil Society Platform for Peacebuilding and Statebuilding (CSPPS) and FriEnt jointly organized an international expert discussion Implementing the SDGs in Fragile Countries: What lessons for Germanys new guidelines on crisis prevention and peace support? PeaceLab2016 editorial team • 08. Juli 2016
Artikel What Values Guide Us? Current experiences such as in Libya or Mali show that German engagement in crises has become indispensable. But it is still important to take a step back from our daily work and ask: are we always doing the right thing, and if so, are we doing it with the right tools? Frank-Walter Steinmeier • 05. Juli 2016
