As Lake Chad’s waters shrink and droughts intensify, pastoralists and farmers clash over the remaining oases. Amid this crisis, rural women – farmers, water-keepers, and mediators – hold the keys to peace. Reinforcing climate action in the UN’s Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda can unlock their potential. This article explores how we might transform conflict into resilience in the Lake Chad Basin by empowering women in Cameroon, Chad, and Nigeria with ecological training,…

The argument that the US military strike could lead to a democratic transition in Venezuela does little to lend legitimacy to the US intervention, which violates international law. Nevertheless, many Venezuelans hope for a democratic opening as an indirect consequence of the intervention. This deserves international support, including from Europe.

At first glance, Europe’s trade conflict over battery electric vehicles (BEVs) with China may seem to be merely an industry-specific technical dispute, but the conflict has unveiled the geo-economic contestation between two major powers. To understand how the dispute contributes to the broader strategic rivalry, this study focuses on Beijing’s response to the trade dispute by examining China’s official statements. These responses provide a window into the broader international contest,…

Intervention can force change at the top, but it cannot deliver democracy. In Venezuela, the decisive struggle is between internal power blocs.

Organized violence influences both the impacts of climate change and the politics of its mitigation. While questions often focus on whether climate hazards will spark new conflicts, a more effective approach – highlighted in a recent Geopolitics article prioritizes reducing the vulnerability of populations already affected by conflict, – adopting climate‑mitigation strategies in an increasingly violent world, and coordinating the disruptive effects of the energy transition for…

On December 4th the White House published its 2025 National Security Strategy (NSS). The document is mandated by law for every incoming administration and serves as a compass for US foreign and security policy during its term. The new Trump NSS breaks away from traditional American strategic goals and interests and crystallizes the policies and actions taken by the second Trump administration in its first year. In this extended PRIF blog post, we provide an overview of the strategy and…

The number of femicides is rising globally. Yet, perpetrators often face reduced sentences, reflecting a societal normalization of violence against women. In recent weeks, feminist activists have mobilized to draw attention to the crisis as part of the UN-led annual campaign, “Orange the World.” Their activism highlights both the severity of femicides and the role of women and LGBTIQ+ communities as powerful agents of change. Yet effective prevention of femicide and gender-based violence…

In line with the vision of an ‘ECOWAS of the People’, this Spotlight argues that ECOWAS must more actively integrate citizens’ perspectives into its peace and security work. Findings from a five-year research project in Burkina Faso and The Gambia show deep distrust and disappointment among elites and everyday citizens over the organization’s handling of political crises. Although some actions are appreciated and expectations are high, a wide gap persists between ECOWAS and West African…

Thirty-six years after the so-called Peaceful Revolution of 1989, the foundation stone for the Monument to Freedom and Unity was laid in Leipzig—a milestone in German commemorative culture. But as memories of the events fade, the once unifying narrative of the Peaceful Revolution as a success story is slowly beginning to crumble. Using survey data, this article examines knowledge and interpretation of the Peaceful Revolution in Germany and shows how this influences political participation and…

The Dayton Peace Agreement ended the Bosnian War, establishing the constitutional framework of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It achieved its immediate aim of ending direct violence, yet ended up creating a state apparatus that obstructs social equality and economic sovereignty. This Spotlight argues that the evaluation of its success must take two problems into account: the cementation of ethnic categories as foundational levels of governance and the resulting failure to address or transform war…