Foreign & Security Policy

Are we in need for new ethics in warfare? Current military technologies enable unmanned drones and killer robots to cause heavy damage, however are far from regulation.

Nuclear reductions on both, the American and Russian side are part of the New START Treaty. The details about the number of warheads,  missiles and bombers remain a diplomatic struggle, though.

A chain of events could lead to a new scenario of arms build-up in international politics. Russia is upgrading its conventional fire power while some NATO members think about improved nuclear deterrence.

Building and keeping peace is intrinsically tied to disarmament and arms control. Thus international trade and flow of weapons needs to be monitored when human rights and security are endangered.

The 4th Japanese-German Dialogue tries to strengthen the new strategic NATO-Japan partnership by identifying areas of mutual Japanese – German security interests and practical cooperation.

The US and its allies have engaged in efforts to stop North Korean nuclear program at least three times, every time ending up with a sense of betrayal. Now, it has become clear that North Korea did not really have the intention to abandon its nuclear program.

For three years, Pakistan has single-handedly – and successfully – blocked the Conference on Disarmament (CD) in Geneva from discussing an effort that would put a cap on fissile materials.

New weapon technologies may lead to insecurity in the Middle East. Therefor both Disarmament and Arms Control are indispensable in the region.

The United States and Russia are implementing the New START Treaty, which requires that each side reduce to 1550 deployed strategic warheads on 700 deployed strategic missiles and bombers by 2018. The Obama administration would like to go further. Doing so, however, will require that Washington address several related issues, first and foremost missile defense.

Just one month after Wladimir Putin's official visit to Azerbaijan, where the chance for signing a binding trade agreement between Baku and Moscow was squandered, the Russian president welcomed his Armenian counterpart in Moscow. It's the latter who made headlines on September 3rd by surprisingly announcing that Armenia would join the Russian-led Customs Union.

Introduction to the panel discussion "The future of arms control - Cooperative arms limitations and reductions in times of global change" by Ralf Fücks, president of the Heinrich Böll Foundation.

Lebanon is facing a complete paralysis of all state institutions, accompanied by a deteriorating security situation and a fragmentation of Lebanon into zones of sectarian conflict. The conflict in Syria is worsening the division within the country.

On June 20, 2013, the Heinrich Böll Foundation Israel, the Tami Steinmetz Center for Peace Research, the Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern and African Studies and the S. Daniel Abraham Center for Strategic Dialogue held the conference 20 Years since the Oslo Accords - Success and/or Failure?. In advance of a comprehensive publication of contributions, we are pleased to present this analysis by Dr. Ephraim Lavie on the early foundation of obstacles in the Oslo negotiation process.

Kabul women have two main fears when moving through public spaces: suicide bombers and harassment. Although the risks associated with harassment are less severe than those of a suicide attack, the everyday threat of harassment creates considerable anxiety amongst women. As part of the safety audit, women were asked how they would feel when confronted with various situations when walking down the street

Kabul women have two main fears when moving through public spaces: suicide bombers and harassment. Although the risks associated with harassment are less severe than those of a suicide attack, the everyday threat of harassment creates considerable anxiety amongst women. As part of the safety audit, women were asked how they would feel when confronted with various situations when walking down the street.

The Lebanese author and leftist activist Fawwaz Traboulsi has followed the the Arab revolutions as a writer and analyst, writing down his insights 2012 in his book „Democracy is Revolution“. Mohammad al-Attar met him for the interview about Syria in Beirut.

The results of the elections to the 19th Knesset hold a potential for a significant change in the gender thinking of Israel’s legislative body. Out of 120 parliamentarians, 27 women will be serving in the Knesset - the largest number of women MKs since the establishment of the state. What are the necessary conditions for bringing this potential to fruition?

"It is not enough for a court to just produce legal debates in the courtroom, and to be ignored in the management of massive violence." In her lecture, Fatou Bensouda, chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), comments on the achievements and challenges of an international criminal justice system.

The Arab Spring, which was welcomed euphorically two years ago, has now given way to a sobering political reality. At our 13th Annual Foreign Policy Conference in early November, numerous policymakers and experts from Germany and elsewhere discussed ways of interacting with political Islam, the geopolitical context of the Arab Spring, and possible strategies for action by the EU. 

Qatar must be regarded as an established regional and international actor. It played a key role in supporting the Arab Spring movements and it is now hosting the UN climate summit COP18. Salman Shaikh gives an overview of Qatars ambitions and priorities.