Twenty-five years after its adoption, the Women, Peace and Security agenda is operating within a different political landscape. Power politics is returning, militarization is accelerating, and the anti-rights pushback is intensifying. Yet the erosion of WPS is not only the result of an illiberal backlash; while many states continue to invoke the WPS agenda rhetorically, their substantive…

Alongside Russia’s full-scale military invasion of Ukraine, non-military operations across Europe have also been on the rise, blending methods of espionage, disinformation campaigns, cyberattacks and sabotage with other unconventional means of attack. These events have given new impetus to analyses on how to address the issue of ‘hybrid warfare’. The ongoing negotiations on a ceasefire and an end…

In Colombia, former combatants from the FARC-EP rebels are building peace in ways that fall outside the formal, institution-centered focus of the UN Women, Peace and Security agenda. In the rural zone of La Montañita, the grassroots initiative ASMUPROPAZ brings together women and men – ex-combatants and victims – to turn aromatic plants into essential oils and conflict into cooperation. Their…

El argumento de que un ataque militar estadounidense podría conducir a una transición democrática en Venezuela no puede legitimar una intervención que viola el derecho internacional. No obstante, muchos venezolanos y venezolanas esperan que dicha intervención dé lugar a una apertura democrática. Esta aspiración merece apoyo internacional, también desde Europa.

Der russische Angriffskrieg auf die Ukraine und der beschleunigte Fokus der USA auf die eigene Hemisphäre haben die europäische Sicherheits- und Verteidigungspolitik grundlegend umgewälzt. Die wissenschaftlichen Disziplinen, die sich damit beschäftigen, sind verunsichert. Dabei können uns die Theorien der Internationalen Beziehungen sowie Konzepte der Verhandlungsforschung helfen zu sehen, wo wir…

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…

Das neue Jahr beginnt mit düsteren Aussichten. In der Ukraine geht der verbrecherische Zermürbungskrieg Russlands in den vierten Winter. Im Nahen Osten nimmt die Gewalt kein Ende. Im Sudan tobt ein weitgehend vergessener Krieg mit genozidalen Zügen. Der Präsident der USA – lange Zeit Garantiemacht der internationalen Ordnung – stellt die Beistandsklausel der NATO infrage und pfeift lauthals auf…

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.