Elza Löw
In cooperation with the North Rhine-Westphalia State Representation in Brussels, the AIA organized a workshop on the importance of European regions for the future of Europe’s soft power, initiated by AIA Fellow Stuart MacDonald. The regions are home to important players such as city networks, cultural institutions, universities, and innovation ecosystems, which have great appeal …
At the AIA Colloquium, Karolina Kluczweska and Katja Freistein presented a jointly authored paper that takes an analytical look at K-dramas to examine gender inequalities in Korean society. Based on the fact that women in South Korea earn up to 31.5% less than men and are socially disadvantaged in many ways, the fiction of television …
The workshop, organized by AIA Fellows Summar Iqbal Barbar and Ifedayo Grace Malachi, addresses an important dimension of the Academy’s chosen annual theme of translocalism and sub-national diplomacy. The aim of this workshop was to use concrete examples from the Global North and Global South to gain a clearer understanding of categories such as diaspora, …
On 13 February, AIA Fellow Stuart MacDonald joined an expert panel at the Munich Security Conference to discuss one of the most pressing questions in contemporary international affairs: how Western nations are faring in the global competition for trust, influence, and young people’s allegiances. Drawing on findings from his recent major comparative study of soft …
“Peace does not always begin with treaties; sometimes it begins with crossings.” In his colloquium AIA Fellow Summar Iqbal Babar examined the Kartarpur Corridor as a form of peace-building infrastructure between India and Pakistan. Established in 2019, the translocal corridor enables pilgrims and tourists to cross the border to visit Sikh shrines in an otherwise …
Initiated by AIA Fellow Stuart MacDonald, a webinar on ‘Soft Power in Transactional Times’ took place on 3 February. This brought together potential consortium partners to identify the most suitable proposal for an application for a Horizon Europe research project on the topic of soft power under the conditions of transactional foreign policy. Based on …
AIA Fellow Summar Iqbal Babar gave a public lecture on the Kartarpur Corridor at the Centre for Development Research (ZEF) at the University of Bonn. The Kartarpur Corridor is a visa-free pilgrimage route between India and Pakistan that connects two important Sikh shrines. It runs for just under 4–4.7 km from the Indian-Pakistani border crossing …
As part of the Global Policy Dialogues, we welcomed Prof. Dr. Eva Marlene Hausteiner from the University of Nuremberg/Erlangen on 20 January. In her lecture, she addressed the significance of empires as actors in international relations, focusing in particular on the question of how empires exercise power. She presented two methodological approaches to conceptualising empires …
Fellow Martin Weber’s colloquium on his research project at the Academy and the book he is writing in Bonn focused on how fundamental ecological and social issues can be considered together. This complex intertwining can be seen as one of the major challenges for meaningful political transformation that, for example, halts the harmful effects of …
At the AIA Fellow Colloquium, Heloise Weber, Associate Professor at the School of Political Science and International Studies at the University of Queensland, Australia, presented a current paper she is working on, which is part of a larger book project. She examines the United Nations Declaration on the Right to Development (UNDRD), which was adopted …
Dear colleagues, partners, fellows, and friends, as the year draws to a close, we would like to thank you sincerely for your engagement, cooperation, and participation in our activities throughout the year. Your contributions and interest have been greatly appreciated and have enriched our work in many ways. We value the trust and commitment you …
The core – or even heart – of a fellowship programme is a closely knit, productive and happy community of fellows, who share an interest in debates, exchange of knowledge and joint learning. Each cohort develops their own dynamics, and with every new group of fellows that comes to the Academy in Bonn, a sustainable …
Can cities save democracy? This admittedly deliberately provocative question was discussed during a panel discussion organised by the AIA at the Haus der Bilder in Bonn City Library. The event was part of our annual theme ‘Sub-national Diplomacy’. At this event, conceived by AIA Fellow Tamara Ehs in collaboration with the Academy, the panellists agreed …
Initiated by the Bonn based IDOS, the third meeting of the Science Dialogue Day took place at AIA this year. The networking and exchange event for invited representatives of leadership programmes in North-Rhine-Westphalia brings together professionals in research, training and fellowship institutions. Identifying shared interests and challenges is a main purpose of this meeting format, …
Many may have heard of the Crimean Tatar ethnic group, but the rich culture and history of the Crimean Tatars is little known. AIA Fellow Hüseyin Cicek was involved as an author in the publication of an anthology on the history and culture of the Crimean Tatars, which was recently published by Mieste Hotopp-Riecke and …
Values, Weapons, Reality. Germany’s Responsibility in Peace Processes On Thursday evening, November 20, an evening event was held at the Old Town Hall in Bonn to conclude this year’s Bonn Symposium. It was organized by the Development and Peace Foundation, with the Academy of International Affairs as this year’s cooperation partner. The event consisted of …
Lessons from the Korean Wave for Cultural Diplomacy In front of an audience of more than 60 interested listeners, the AIA NRW, in its proven cooperation with the Korean Embassy, Bonn branch, organised a public event on the topic of ‘More than the “Korean Wave”: Cultural Diplomacy as Part of Soft Power Strategies’ at the …
Policy, Strategy and Measurement The Fellow Workshop organized by AIA Fellow Stuart MacDonald focused on the term and concept of ‘soft power’, which was popularized by the recently deceased American political scientist Joseph Nye in his 1990 book ‘Bound to Lead: The Changing Nature of American Power’ and is familiar to anyone who has ever …
The Academy of International Affairs NRW hosted a workshop convened by AIA Fellow Summar Barbar to emphasize the emerging importance of subnational diplomacy as a tool to reinstate Pak-German relations with the involvement of youth, academic cooperation, and cultural exchange. This event took place at a historically authentic location, as the premises of the AIA …
From October 29 to November 1, 2025, the ninth International Security Forum Bonn (ISFB) took place, organized by the Center for Advanced Security, Strategic and Integration Studies (CASSIS) at the University of Bonn. The AIA NRW was once again a cooperation partner this year and participated with its team and fellows in the discussions on …