Recent protests in Iran have been increasingly dominated by voices that represent a backlash against the feminist foundations of the Woman, Life, Freedom movement. What began as a movement centered on women’s rights, bodily autonomy, and resistance to systemic gender discrimination has gradually been reframed through a masculinist narrative that frames itself as the sole voice of Iran. In doing so, this backlash not only marginalizes the voices of feminists and reduces diversity, but also…

The U.S. nuclear umbrella isn’t watertight, the French Eurodeterrent isn’t fully stretched out, and a German A-bomb would have painful consequences for the country. This PRIF-Blog therefore concludes that the triad of an effective European conventional defense, arms control, and active diplomacy offers the best protection against nuclear threats from Russia. Especially since Trump has withdrawn his commitment to station Tomahawks in Germany.

The Strait of Hormuz has been blocked by both Iran and the US. The result is a disruption of a large share of the supply of global crude oil and gas, but also petrochemical feedstock materials for fertilizers. While this energy and resource shock is truly global in reach, its impact is felt differently in different world regions, as this joint PRIF blog article shows. 

Within displacement camps across Benue State, Nigeria, governance is increasingly shaped by informal digital practices that emerge alongside weakened institutional response systems. Support structures are overstretched and camp conditions remain precarious, while governance is often assumed to rest solely with external actors. Yet within these spaces, displaced youth are forging alternative systems of coordination and authority. Through WhatsApp groups, Facebook networks, and mobile…

Four months after a coup interrupted the electoral process in Guinea-Bissau, political violence and repression against civilians and the media have contributed to an unending political transition while eroding democratic prospects. In a conversational collage, we bring together our perspectives as a peace and conflict researcher, a journalist and teacher, and as a media studies scholar. Taking the recent death of a political activist and threats against media houses as a snapshot of the…

There is a growing tendency in American politics to attribute Trump’s decision to go to war with Iran to his being misled by Netanyahu. While this may explain his choice, it obscures the structures that enable one person to destabilize global security with minimal domestic or international support. Moreover, narratives emphasizing external influence on Trump misrepresent the U.S.-Israel power balance and exaggerate the influence of pro-Israel organizations on American policy. This allows U.S.…

On 10 April, Djibouti will kick off one of the four elections in the Horn of Africa in 2026—Djibouti, Ethiopia, Somalia, and South Sudan. Conflict trends across the region indicate that these upcoming elections will act as stress multipliers, amplifying existing tensions rather than creating new ones. This has the potential to worsen ongoing insurgencies and unresolved political disputes, and to significantly increase the risk of electoral violence. Drawing on recent peace and conflict research…

Sudan’s Blue Nile state is becoming a strategic node where the country’s civil war intersects with wider regional power competition. Allegations that neighboring Ethiopia has facilitated Rapid Support Forces (RSF) activity by opening its borders for the RSF to train its fighters and is permitting the United Arab Emirates to use Ethiopia’s airports for logistical transfer are exemplary of the geopolitical problems facing Sudan.

Trump’s Board of Peace (BoP) represents the most recent escalation of attacks on multilateral cooperation in the peace and security domain. However, instead of sounding the death knell for multilateral organizations, the BoP helps illustrate their durability. While Trump’s speech at the inaugural BoP conference may seem counterintuitive – advocating for future cooperation with the UN – this article argues that it reveals a persistent pattern: ad hoc organizations like the BoP must the co-opt…

Since Russia began its war of aggression against Ukraine four years ago there has not only been continuous fighting but also negotiations. Yet Europe has remained diplomatically hesitant. With US President Donald Trump at the helm, the US slipped into the role of power mediator. At this decisive turning point, Europeans failed to develop a […]