After brief introductions by Nicole Deitelhoff, Rainer Forst and Christopher Daase and a welcoming address by the Minister, the students formulated their views on current political processes in Germany. They commented on the crisis of representative democracy, instruments of participation, the lack of spaces for productive debate and the shift of political communication to the digital space. Mona Klöckner, research associate at PRIF, recalled the recent civil society protests against the right and emphasized that these must be taken up at the level of institutional politics and should not remain without consequences. Nicole Deitelhoff, who moderated the meeting, emphasized the importance of discursive spaces, productive debate and civil society dialogue at the end of the discussion.

"Democracy thrives on constructive debate and cooperation. That is why I am very pleased about the great interest shown by the students and the lively exchange," said the Minister of Science, summing up the meeting in the subsequent press release. He had taken the current action program "11+1 for Hesse" launched by the Hessian state government as an opportunity for the exchange with the democracy researchers in Frankfurt. The HMWK dedicates its program section to the topic of democracy research.

Since its foundation in 1958, the Forschungsstätte Evangelische Studien­gemeinschaft has aimed to link scientific research with the principles of the Gospel and to assist the Protes­tant Church in addressing current challenges and issues. In four de­partments and cross-sectional projects, the research institute combines interdisciplinary re­search perspectives on religion, law and culture, sustainable develop­ment, peace and natural science. More informa­tion on FEST's research and Christopher Daase's role can be found on the website of the Research Institute.

Thorsten Gromes is a Senior Researcher and project manager in the research depart­ment “Intra­state Conflict”. He con­ducts research on humani­tarian military inter­ventions, peace­building, and the causes of civil wars.

Download (pdf): Gromes, Thorsten (2024): Ausstieg verpasst? Der Bundestag und die UN-Mission in Mali, PRIF Report 2/2024, Frankfurt/M.

Hendrik Simon is a re­searcher at PRIF in the Research Depart­ment “Trans­national Politics” as well as in the Re­search Alliances ConTrust and TraCe.

The confe­rence brought together national and interna­tional resear­chers to discuss the role of journa­lism and media in armed conflicts and deeply divided socie­ties. The confe­rence program provi­ded space for the exchange of research fin­dings and prac­tical expe­riences through various formats such as a film screening, lectures, panels and partici­patory methods such as a World Café. A focus was put on media edu­cation approa­ches, particu­larly in the Colom­bian transi­tional justice process. The con­ference also high­lighted the successes and challen­ges of the work of media and jour­nalists, and empha­sized the impor­tance of journa­listic initia­tives and research. The poten­tial of memory work by the media in the context of challen­ges such as oppo­sitional social behavior in Colombia was clearly empha­sized. The impor­tance of quality, engage­ment and inno­vation in journa­listic repor­ting and communi­cation was also deemed necessary to better explore underre­presented topics and make them more accessible.

The conference was organized within the framework of and with funding from the research center Transformations of Political Violence (TraCe) and the Leibniz Research Alliance “Value of the Past” by PRIF together with the German-Colombian Peace Institute CAPAZ and the Leibniz-Zentrum Moderner Orient (ZMO) at the Universidad de los Andes.

The conference report (pdf) in Spanish with an English-language summary is available for download.

Download (pdf): Abay Gaspar, Hande / Junk, Julian / Sold, Manjana / Süß, Clara-Auguste (2024): Co-escalation in Contentious Politics and Radicalization, PRIF Working Papers No. 62, Frankfurt/M.

The work­shop was based on a scenario analysis of the inter­play between the dynamics of violence and poli­tical develop­ment in Ecuador, which Jonas Wolff and Elena Dressler had prepared in consultation with BMZ and the German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ). On this basis, the back­ground, in­fluencing factors, im­plications and re­commendations for action for German develop­ment cooperation with Ecuador were discussed at the work­shop.

From April 1, 2024, the three Leibniz Labs will each receive three million euros from the Association over a period of three years. PRIF is involved in the following Leibniz Labs: "Pandemic Prepared­ness - Preparing for future pandemics by networking inter- and transdisciplinary research: One Health, One Future", in "Systemic Sustainability - Biodiversity, Climate, Agriculture and Nutrition within Planetary Boundaries" and in "Up­heavals and Transformations". Stefan Kroll, Head of Knowledge Transfer Depart­ment, coordinated the application process and is over­seeing PRIF's further participation.

The Leibniz Senate has selected three Leibniz Labs from a total of five ap­plications submitted. The aim of Leibniz Labs is to make the best possible use of the Leibniz Association's inter­disciplinary and trans­disciplinary experience, expertise and potential in order to make a strong con­tribution to solving pressing social issues. Leibniz Labs primarily rely on the inte­gration of the diverse existing know­ledge of all Leibniz institutions. Leibniz Labs develop formats that support problem solving across disciplinary boun­daries and by in­corporating knowledge and per­spectives from politics, business and society.

Presse release Leibniz Assoziation (in German)

Part of the stay was a research trip to Hiroshima to visit the Peace Memorial Museum on March 5 and 6, 2024. On March 11, the Sasakawa Peace Foundation invited Flamm to Tokyo to give a talk followed by a dis­cussion at the Ocean Policy Research Institute on the political risks and governance of glacial geo­engineering in the Antarctic.

Two central questions of the publication are: Why are right-wing and far-right movements so successful in times of crisis? And what are the processes in the so-called center of the society that make right-wing narratives and evaluations connectable? As part of his DFG project, he conducted inter­views with residents of peripheral neighbor­hoods in Leipzig and Frankfurt am Main, where the AfD has been strong in recent years. "What makes the far right attractive is the offer of not having to change despite all the crises and the need for ecological trans­formation," says Daniel Mullis, summarizing his findings. At the same time, he goes beyond a description of the current situation and asks what role indivi­dualization and the neo­liberalization of society play and how pro­gressive politics can succeed in un­certain times.

Numerous readings are planned to mark the publi­cation of the book: Daniel Mullis will present the publi­cation during the Leipzig Book Fair on Thursday, March 21, 2024, at 6 p.m. at Leipzig City Library. On March 22, 2024, he will discuss his research findings at a public recording of the Deutschlandfunk podcast "Systemfragen" at the Leipzig Book Fair. Further events and readings are planned including the Karl Marx book­shop in Frankfurt am Main. On March 15, 2024, the Frankfurter Rundschau published an interview with Daniel Mullis in which he talks with Pit von Bebenburg about his book (in German). 

The discussion on research design and metho­dology was rounded off by a keynote give by Lorne L. Dawson from the University of Waterloo, who spoke about the matrix of metho­dological issues in the study of violent extremism. The consortium furthermore welcomed Garth Davies from Simon Fraser University.

On February 29, the entire consortium was hosted at Philipps University Marburg. The extensive program included a lecture by Julia Schulte-Cloos on right-wing autho­ritarian attitudes, fast-paced decision-making, and the spread of misinfor­mation about COVID-19 vaccines. The stay in Marburg also included a city tour.

Finally, the meeting provided an oppor­tunity to discuss joint research possi­bilities and exchange ideas. The next virtual meeting will take place in August 2024.

The EU-financed Marie Skłodowska Curie Promotion Network VORTEX includes eight partners and supports ten doctoral researchers.

In 2022, Antonia Witt and other authors were com­missioned by the Advisory Board to write the study “Policy Cohe­­rence for Peace in German Govern­­ment Action: Lessons from Mali and Niger”. This study focused on the questions of how coherent German govern­­ment action in Mali and Niger is with its peace policy guide­­lines and how civil society actors in the two coun­tries perceive this (in)­coherence. The study provided im­portant insights for im­­proving structures and the use of re­sources in Germany’s peace policy engage­­ment, and not only in the Sahel.

The Advisory Board for Civilian Crisis Preven­tion and Peace­building brings together civil society and aca­demic expertise on crisis prevention and peace­building and advises the German Govern­ment on these topics. The twenty mem­bers of the Advisory Boards come from the fields of inter­national cooperation, academia, foundations and non-govern­mental organizations and are appointed for four years. The Advisory Board accompanies the imple­mentation of the guide­lines “Preventing Crises, Resol­ving Conflicts, Building Peace” adopted by the German Govern­ment in 2017. Further infor­mation on Antonia Witt's work on the Advi­sory Board can be found on the web­­site of the Advi­­sory Board for Civilian Crisis Pre­ven­tion and Peace­­building.

The first CNTR Fact Sheet by Lena Bühring (CNTR/PRIF) and Prof. Dr Markus Gräfe (TU Darmstadt) provides an over­view of the four pillars of quantum techno­logy, its develop­ment, security rele­vance and various appli­cations. Quantum techno­logy mainly consists of four inno­vative techno­logy areas: Compu­ting, commu­nication, sensing, and imaging. These offer poten­tial mili­tary advan­tages, such as secure commu­nication and improved reconnais­sance capa­bilities through more precise sensors, but also pose a security risk to conven­tional systems. The fact sheet briefly explains the dual-use charac­teristics of quantum techno­logy.

The Cluster for Natural and Techno­logical Science Arms Control Research (CNTR) researches new techno­logies and develop­ments in the natural sciences from an interdis­ciplinary per­spective, develops recommen­dations for the advance­ment of new techno­logies and in the natural sciences.

The Fact Sheet on quantum techno­logy is available as an open access publication on the CNTR website. 

Rita Theresa Kopp is an associate researcher at PRIF and the Research Center “Transformations of Political Violence” (TraCe). She holds a MA degree in political science from Friedrich Schiller University Jena, and her final thesis formed the basis for this report.

Download (pdf): Kopp, Rita Theresa (2024): Easier Said Than Done: The Political Discourse About Indigenous-Settler Reconciliation in Canada, PRIF Report 1/2024, Frankfurt/M., DOI: 10.48809/prifrep2401

On 20 February 2024, the panel discussion "Myanmar's Transition to Federal Democracy" on the current situation and future of Myanmar took place at the IG-Farben-Haus of Goethe University Frankfurt. The panelists were the Foreign Minister of the National Unity Government of Myanmar Zin Mar Aung, the surgeon, writer and chairwoman of the Writers-in-Prison-Committee of Pen Inter­national Ma Thida, the political activist and co-founder of the Free Rohingya Coalition Ko Nay San Lwin, the head of the Global Office of Goethe University Dr Johannes Müller and Dr Pascal Abb, sinologist and coordinator of the research group Regime Competition at PRIF. The discussion was moderated by Dr Ulrich Kuch, Head of the Department of Tropical Medicine and Global Health at the Institute of Occu­pational, Social and Environ­mental Medicine at Goethe University and coordinator of Frankfurt's hospital and university partnerships with Myanmar.

In particular, the plan to create a federal, demo­cratic consti­tutional state in Myanmar was discussed. The discussion also addressed the role that Germany, Europe as well as regional and major powers (can) play in this. In particular, Pascal Abb analysed China's position in the current conflict.

In her statement, Antonia Witt gave a review of key security policy develop­ments in Africa in 2023. These include an increase in political violence, the con­solidation of autocratic regimes, the crisis of “traditional” instruments of inter­national crisis management and the expan­sion of new security partner­ships. She focused in particular on the situations in the Sahel, Sudan and Ethiopia and dis­cussed what these develop­ments mean for Austria and Europe.

The “Risikobild” event takes place annually and serves to assess global conflict constellations. High-ranking representatives of Austrian ministries and members of parliament exchange views with experts.

The alliance brings to­gether the four major scientific orga­nisations in the Frankfurt/Rhine-Main metro­politan region, as well as a federal insti­tution and Goethe Uni­versity, in order to create synergy effects and meet the challenges of the 21st century.

The Frank­furt/Rhine-Main region is characte­rised by a high density of research insti­tutions that are already linked in many ways due to common research interests and numerous coope­ration agree­ments. The aim of the Frankfurt Alliance is to simplify the conditions for joint research, remove adminis­trative obstacles and esta­blish joint structures and infra­structures. At the same time, the alliance sees itself as a repre­sentative of interests in the political arena. The future cooperations between the 16 institutions are in­tended to further expand the Frankfurt/Rhine-Main region as a leading research lo­cation in Europe, gain inter­national reco­gnition and be­come more attractive.

Timon Gremmels, Hessian Minister for Science and Research, Art and Culture, recognised the agreed coope­ration during the signing of the memo­randum in Frankfurt's Römer: “Science and research are essential to master the trans­formation processes of our time and at the same time to secure our demo­cracy. This will be all the more successful if we join forces. The Frankfurt Alliance will make the out­standing research and transfer work in Frankfurt and the Rhine-Main region even more effective and visible – from inter­natio­nalisation to research infra­structures and personnel recruit­ment.”

The Frankfurt Alliance's first joint public event will be a science festival in Frankfurt city centre on September 28, 2024: The partici­pating institutions will then present them­selves to the public at the Roß­markt.

Further infor­mation can be found on the web­site of Goethe Uni­versity Frankfurt.