On 12 November, AIA Fellow Stuart MacDonald organizes  a workshop for academics and practitioners, examining the state of soft power in 2025. Drawing on findings from a recent comprehensive comparative study of 24 countries and the EU, and the unique empirical data generated for the research, the event will advance both theoretical understanding and practical …

This workshop examines how tokenism can appear in youth engagement and inclusion efforts, and explores ways to foster genuine participation. It includes concept framing, real-life examples, research insights, personal experiences, and group discussions. Participants will reflect on subtle and systemic forms of tokenism and contribute to the development of a Meaningful Youth Engagement Charter/Checklist. The …

This two-part workshop aims to provide both theoretical and practical insights into the mechanics of dialogue and silencing focusing on how the analytical concepts can be defined, assessed, and applied in real-world settings. While the first session will deal with silencing in foreign policy on a theoretical level (why and how are issues silenced in …

This workshop is aimed at scientists, university staff and communication managers from our network (and Friends) who want to improve their social media strategies in a targeted manner. The focus is on science communication and student marketing through digital channels.

The links between regional and urban history and international relations are manifold, but rarely obvious at first glance. Municipalities, regional self-government and (federal) states often did not and do not act exclusively in a national context. Their actions were and are closely intertwined with supranational and international problems and the repercussions of major political events.

Outer space has emerged as a distinct arena of political and economic interactions that can benefit humankind. With rising commercial interest and the engagement of states, outer space has become a zone in need of regulation and of cooperative agreements to avoid severe risks. This also raises the central question of responsibility in different ways, …

IDOS and AIA convened an expert workshop to assess the dynamics of contemporary geopoliticization across a range of policy areas. Geopoliticization refers to the processes by which considerations of geographical space are prioritized in policymaking and, more fundamentally, denotes a shift to thinking of power in spatial—especially global—terms.

AIA Fellows Raul Gonzalez and Günes Ünüvar organized a workshop on the subject “To the Moon and Back: Lunar Policy-Making, Security, and Cooperation in Europe.” They brought together many distinguished experts from academia, policy, and industry to engage in critical discussions about the future of European lunar missions and the multifaceted challenges they present.

On November 6th und November 7th AIA Fellows Albert Ahenkan and Samuel Anuga hosted a webinar workshop with the title “The Transition to Renewable Energy in Europe-Africa Relations”. A round of 20 leading experts from the fields of energy policy, geopolitics and sustainable development gathered remotely, representing both the European and African perspectives. The growing dynamics and …

The latest election results in the European Union have led to a significant change in parliamentary composition, which may result in a different approach to cooperation with China. Against this backdrop, AIA Fellow Reza Hasmath brought together policy advisors and scholars from Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Latvia, the UK and Canada to analyze the future …

The rise and electoral success of populist parties all throughout Europe, with far-right governments in place in Eastern, Northern, Southern and Western Europe, and also beyond has been alarming to political scientists who have observed the trend and warned of the consequences to liberal democracies. As the political landscape evolves, understanding the dynamics and impact …

Efforts to achieve autonomy have certainly existed since the time when political communities first emerged. The questions of who belongs to whom, who does not belong to whom, who sees themselves as something independent and who wants to belong to something bigger are probably some of the timeless fundamental historical questions and one of the …

It has long been known among experts that there is a close connection between energy policy and energy supply with the field of security policy in Europe and the world as a whole. However, it is only since the Russian attack on Ukraine and the sabotage of North Stream II that there has been a …

In their workshop, Prof. Cecelia Lynch (University of California, Irvine) and Prof. Nadine Machikou (University of Yaoundé II, Cameroon) addressed a topic that is as complex as it is controversial. Intersectional theorizing and post-colonial discourses have been booming in the academic landscape as well as in feature pages and cultural policy debates for some time …

The aim of Vivek Anand’s research activities is to decipher the dynamics of economic paradiplomacy, in particular to identify best practices. As part of these research activities, a two-day workshop was held with 24 participants, in which both researchers and paradiplomacy practitioners were able to exchange ideas.

While fake news in social media has been receiving increasing attention, disinformation in diplomatic communication, especially in times of war and conflict, has not been discussed as prominently. We are interested in tackling several aspects surrounding the topic of communication, including questions such as: How are narratives used in diplomatic communication and why are they …

New cold war, return of a thought of spheres of influence that seemed to have been overcome – Putin’s invasion of Ukraine and the ongoing turmoil in the Middle east will have fundamental consequences for the international order. European member states, whose societies could not imagine war in Europe, decide to invest significantly in their …

Russia’s full-scale aggression against Ukraine was a trigger for challenges to the neutrality status in Europe. Finland and Sweden abandoned their militarily non-aligned status and applied for NATO membership. Denmark decided to abolish the 30-year-old opt-out clause related to EU defense as the outcome of the national referendum. Malta’s and Ireland’s neutrality also sparked public …

When gender is approached from the perspective of international relations, we often see references made to the SDGs and global partnerships around gender and development.  When masculinities are inserted into the analyses we often focus on issues of peace and conflict (eg. wars, terrorism, peace initiatives) or international political leadership, without sufficiently historicizing and contextualizing …

Dr. Mayssoun Zein Al Din (Executive Director of the Academy of International Affairs NRW), cordially greeted the distinguished participants hailing from the realms of academia and practical policymaking during the workshop’s commencement, delivering a keynote address to set the tone. Under the guidance of Dr. Iulian Romanyshyn (Fellow at the Academy) the session’s context was …