‘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. Between 2016 and June 2021, we discussed how to target these investments towards better crisis prevention, conflict management and peacebuilding on this blog. Many contributions are in German, but occasionally international experts shared their views in this English-language section. Editorial responsibility for this blog was with the Global Public Policy Institute (GPPi) in Berlin until June 2021. The German Federal Foreign Office plans to continue the PeaceLab platform and will inform you in due course.
Artikel Peace First at the Horseshoe Table Germany brings diplomatic weight to the UN Security Council, to which it was elected on 8th June. The German government should use this advantage to support mediation and peace processes as priorities of its two-year membership. It should focus on three central instruments in this regard: refining sanctions, accountability of troop contributing countries, as well as the organization of more flexible visiting missions by Security Council diplomats. Gerrit Kurtz • 09 July 2018
Artikel Link the SSR Process to Transitional Justice The Central African Republic’s security sector not only suffers from an acute shortage of manpower and capacity but also from internal disputes over loyalties. To deal with these dynamics, Germany’s new SSR strategy should identify and address political and economic interests of local actors threatened by the reform process. Also, it should entail instruments to fight against abuses committed by security forces. Niagalé Bagayoko, Elom Khaunbiow • 05 July 2018
Artikel Iran, Syria, Ukraine: Berlin Should Take a Leadership Role Germany should use its time on the UN Security Council to address some of the world’s most pressing crises. This includes acting as a mediator on the Iran deal as well as leading negotiations on reconstruction in Syria and on a possible UN mission in Ukraine. Taking on such initiatives is risky. But nobody said that holding a seat on the Council in the current political climate was going to be easy. Richard Gowan • 26 June 2018
Artikel Between War and Peace: Capacity Building and Inclusive Security in the Grey Zone Case studies from the Somali context demonstrate that merely building capacity of the defense sector without democratic accountability does not lead to locally credible and legitimate governance and security institutions. The German government should put the principles of accountability, rule of law and human rights back at the center of its new SSR strategy. Louise Wiuff Moe • 30 May 2018
Artikel No Easy Way Out: Three Trade-offs the German SSR Strategy Needs to Address It is time to go beyond the rhetoric of governance and ownership. A good SSR policy lays out how SSR initiatives can achieve a balance between short-term security- and long-term governance improvements; between operational work and political strategy; and between achieving results and working adaptively. Erwin van Veen • 30 April 2018
Veranstaltungsbericht How Stabilization Worked in Iraq, and What the UN Can Learn from it On 18 April 2018, the German Mission to the United Nations in New York hosted a roundtable on success factors of stabilization in Iraq and its lessons for the international community. At the UN, stabilization remains a contentious issue that sparked a lot of interest in the speaker’s conclusions: it’s all about political strategy, international coherence, local leadership and flexibility in deploying funds. PeaceLab editorial team • 20 April 2018
Artikel PeaceLab2016: A Fresh Look at Crisis Prevention "We need your critical questions, your experience, your ideas, and your suggestions. We should talk openly about what we are already doing well, and how we can become even better and more efficient." (Frank-Walter Steinmeier at the PeaceLab2016 kick-off conference, 5 July 2016) PeaceLab2016 editorial team • 26 July 2017
Artikel Managing Conflict, Building Peace: Opportunities for Europe and India Crisis management, stabilization and peacebuilding have a huge role to play in boosting greater cooperation between Europe and India in their overlapping neighborhoods. Trainings and joint civil-military missions, including UN missions, offer an opportunity to build practical joint experience. As a key EU member state, Germany should push for increased dialogue and collaboration between India and the EU. Garima Mohan • 13 June 2017
Artikel Mission Impossible? Lessons from UN Peacekeeping in South Sudan The UN Mission in South Sudan faces daunting challenges, especially with regard to the protection of civilians. Despite its efforts, the mission cannot solve the conflict alone. Regional and international actors must step up and act more decisively. Germany can help by pushing for the immediate establishment of the planned hybrid court for atrocities. It can also encourage a frank debate about the limits of the protection of civilians and motivate other countries to increase humanitarian aid. Elisa D. Lux • 08 June 2017
Artikel Moving from Peacekeeping to Prevention at the UN: Opportunities for Europe The UNs new Secretary-General Guterres is keen on pushing his prevention agenda forward, making the UN more agile and cheaper. As a result, the UN is slowly handing over security responsibilities to African actors on the continent. This shift opens up opportunities for European players to revitalize and expand their approach to crisis management. Germany is a potential lynchpin for efforts to pool European resources. Richard Gowan • 11 May 2017
Artikel Development as an Ecosystem: How Aid Programs Can Stimulate Change Socio-political change processes are complex, disruptive, and unpredictable. For this reason, donors such as Germany should initiate more adaptive aid programs. Such programs have broad objectives, flexible resources, and are able to learn. This means moving away from only reporting tangible results at the output level, starting to hold programs accountable for their capacity to adjust, and sustaining long-term partnerships between funders and implementers. Erwin van Veen • 09 May 2017
Artikel Will 2017 Be a Watershed Year for Prevention at the Service of Peace? Effective prevention requires an understanding of peace beyond the mere absence of violent conflict. Therefore, the United Nations should view prevention as a governance tool rather than a crisis management tool. Further, the UN should combine the breadth of recent reform agendas into a single strategic, inclusive vision. Youssef Mahmoud • 13 April 2017
Artikel To Prevent another Syria, the World Needs German Leadership The consequences of the international communitys failure to effectively respond to atrocities in Syria were catastrophic. In learning from our collective failure and establishing atrocity prevention as a top foreign policy priority, no European country is more important than Germany. Political leadership is key, and the new guidelines are the best place to start. Tod Lindberg • 29 March 2017
Artikel Without Democracy, No Human Rights and No Peace Germanys new guidelines for managing crises and conflicts should lay the ground for human rights promotion that is more courageous, political and ready for new risks. Despite old and new challenges, democracy assistance remains an important component of sustainable peacebuilding. Katrin Kinzelbach • 25 January 2017
Artikel No Peace without Peace Education and Education Reform Too often, education marginalizes students rather than empowering them. Peace agreements should provide for educational reforms that channel local knowledge into sustainable education systems. Utilising its comparative advantages, Germany can play a stronger role in both emergency peace education and in long-term education reforms for peace. Katja Anger • 23 January 2017
Veranstaltungsbericht Enhancing Womens Leadership for Sustainable Peace in Fragile Contexts in the MENA Region On 13 December 2016, the German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and UN Women hosted an expert discussion on opportunities and challenges in enhancing womens leadership in crisis prevention and peacebuilding with a particular focus on the MENA region. The one-day workshop was held in Berlin. PeaceLab2016 editorial team, BMZ • 17 January 2017
Veranstaltungsbericht The Future of EU Crisis Management: What Expectations for Germany? On 11 November 2016, the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung EU Office hosted an expert roundtable with European stakeholders as part of the PeaceLab2016 process to discuss Germanys role in future EU crisis management. The event was held in Brussels. Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung EU Office • 05 January 2017
Veranstaltungsbericht Early Warning/Early Action Lessons from Burundi and South Sudan On 26 October 2016, Foresight Intelligence, the Global Public Policy Institute (GPPi) and the German Federal Foreign Office hosted an expert workshop on early warning and early action in the recent cases of conflict in Burundi and South Sudan. The event was held in Berlin. PeaceLab2016 editorial team • 14 December 2016
Veranstaltungsbericht Stabilization Instruments Revisited: Increasing the Likelihood of Positive Impact On 19 October 2016, the Center for International Peace Operations (ZIF) organized a workshop on stabilization instruments to offer a forum for an open exchange and a fresh look at approaches to stabilization, with a view to making policy recommendations for the Government Guidelines for Crisis Engagement and Peacebuilding. The workshop was held in Berlin. Center for International Peace Operations (ZIF) • 23 November 2016
Veranstaltungsbericht Preventing Crises, Preventing Atrocities On October 20, the Global Public Policy Institute (GPPi), the US Holocaust Memorial Museum and Genocide Alert organized a roundtable on Preventing Crises, Preventing Atrocities: Lessons and Opportunities for Transatlantic Cooperation. The event was held at the BMW Foundation Herbert Quandt in Berlin. Global Public Policy Institute (GPPi) • 10 November 2016
Veranstaltungsbericht Youth in Conflict On 6 October 2016, Polis180 organized a workshop bringing together 35 students and young professionals from different countries to discuss the role of youth in conflict and to develop recommendations for the German governments new guidelines on crisis prevention, stabilization and peacebuilding. Polis180 • 26 October 2016
