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Articles in English on current issues in peace and conflict research. Written by researchers from PRIF.

English21. Juli 2026 | Yasmine Yakushova

Conflict in the Persian Gulf and the Vulnerability of Civilian Infrastructure: Considerations of International Humanitarian Law

During the military conflict in 2026 centered in the Persian Gulf region, the constellation of attacks impacting civilian infrastructure has represented a concerning feature of hostilities. In consonance with humanitarian considerations, this dimension draws attention to the role and importance of international humanitarian law in protecting civilian infrastructure during conflict.

English20. Juli 2026 | Eldad Ben Aharon

Israel’s “New Iran”: What’s Really Behind the Armenian Genocide Recognition Vote Against Turkey

Israel’s recognition of the Armenian Genocide on 28 June 2026 was framed by Minister of Foreign Affairs Gideon Sa’ar as an act of moral and historic justice, decades overdue. Yet this framing conceals what the timing reveals. The recognition comes amid a recent increase in the number of Israeli politicians and members of the national security community framing Turkey as the “new Iran”, although others contest this characterization. Formal recognition of the 1915 Armenian Genocide also serves as…

English15. Juli 2026 | Julian Neef

Minerals at the Negotiating Table: Resource Politics and Peace in Eastern DRC

The United States brokered a strategic partnership deal with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in December 2025, co-signing a DRC–Rwanda peace agreement on the same day. Whether a mediator with a strategic interest can also be neutral is a question the Washington Peace Accords have yet to answer. Critical minerals are no longer a backdrop to negotiations in eastern DRC but they are increasingly the point of concern. Yet understanding their role requires looking beyond the well-worn…

English, PRIF Spotlight10. Juli 2026 |

A Bridge to Nowhere? Giorgia Meloni and her Balancing Act Between the United States and Europe

Following the G7 meeting in France in June, US President Donald Trump claimed that Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni „begged“ to take a picture with him during the summit.1 Such a public rebuke is only one of a string of episodes evidencing a serious rift between the two leaders. The outcome is surprising given that the political and personal relationship between Meloni and Trump has, until recently, appeared to be rather idyllic.2 Placing the issue within the broader context of Italy’s…

English, PRIF Spotlight7. Juli 2026 |

From Negotiating Peace to Fighting “Narcoterrorism”? Prospects for Colombia’s Peace Processes under President-elect Abelardo de la Espriella

With the upcoming transfer of power from leftist president Gustavo Petro to his newly elected radical-right successor Abelardo de la Espriella, Colombia faces a decisive shift in its approach to peace and violence. The implications extend not only to the still-unfinished implementation of the 2016 peace agreement with the FARC-EP guerrilla, but also to the state’s response to the fragmented landscape of persisting armed groups, the violence they inflict on civilians, and the illicit economies…

English2. Juli 2026 | Patrick Flamm

Sitting on Emperor Penguins: The Discomfort of Protecting a Peaceful Antarctica

The Antarctic Treaty System has been a success story for international multilateralism, science diplomacy, and environmental protection for decades. However, for some time the system seems incapable of living up to its own commitments, seen in the ongoing failure to grant the quintessential Antarctic icon, the emperor penguin, special protection as an endangered species. Patrick Flamm attended the Treaty’s most recent diplomatic gathering in Hiroshima as an advisor to the German delegation. In…

English9. Juni 2026 | Nadine Benedix

Who Protects Children’s Rights? Working Children as Agents in Child Rights Governance

Global child rights and child labour regulation aim to protect children from exploitation and abuse and to empower them to claim their rights. Yet organisations designed to help children, especially working children, often treat them as the passive beneficiaries of protective interventions that may alleviate hardship in the short-term but reinforce disempowerment in the long-term. Evidence from organised working children’s movements in the Global South challenges this assumption. These…

English, PRIF Spotlight2. Juni 2026 | Jonatan Kurzwelly

The Resilience of Radicalism. Overcoming Psychological Defences in Deradicalisation Work

Why do some extremists deradicalise when confronted with counter-narratives or positive intergroup contact, while others entrench even deeper into their beliefs? While the external factors that pull people away from radical milieus are well documented, the internal psychological defences used to resist doubt are frequently overlooked. Drawing on interviews with former extremists, this Spotlight describes the unconscious defence strategies that allow radicalised individuals to reduce cognitive…

English28. Mai 2026 | Sarah McKee

Escaping the Heat? The Politics and Problems of Orbital Data Centers

What happens when digital systems outgrow the Earth that sustains them? Computing has always consumed energy and water, but the growing ambitions of the AI industry are pushing demand to an unprecedented scale. As pressures mount, data centers in orbit around the Earth have been pitched as a solution. But space is no escape, and what is framed as a technical fix risks entrenching digital dependence in an increasingly militarized, fragile, and crisis-prone environment. Orbital data centers…

English27. Mai 2026 | Seljan Haji

When EU Norms Become Political Weapons: Media Freedom and the Limits of Europeanization in Georgia

Georgia has been an EU candidate country since December 2023. In 2024, the Georgian parliament passed the so-called foreign agent law, which was modelled on Russian legislation. Reporters Without Borders documented more than 600 attacks on journalists in a single year. Both the ruling party and the opposition claim to support Europe. However, Georgia’s candidacy was effectively terminated in 2025, due to the country’s democratic backsliding. This compels us to ask why EU pressure is failing…

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