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Publications on the topic of “Freedom needs Security”

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DemocrAIcy

Gesellschaftliche Chancen und Risiken Künstlicher Intelligenz im politischen Prozess

Eine dreiteilige Vorlesungsreihe an der Technischen Universität Darmstadt.

Auf dem Weg zu einer „Querfront“?

Linker und rechter Pazifismus in Anbetracht des russischen Angriffskriegs

IMAGO / Pond5 Images

New defence strategies for Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia

Baltic Bastions

"[...] they will be treated like pigs in their own country". This sentence comes at the end of a long series of blatant threats by Russian President Putin against the three Baltic States, in this case Latvia. The statement was made in response to the alleged mistreatment of Latvia's Russian-speaking population. Such statements cause great fear of attack in these states, which had to fight hard for their independence from Russia. Faced with the feared reduction of Western support for Ukraine and the resulting sharp increase in the potential threat from Russia, the three Baltic States published new defence strategies in 2023. But how do the Baltic States intend to secure their independence, and are these concepts a blueprint for other states?

Politische Bildung für die Bundeswehr

#Programm 2024

Für die Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung ist es ein wichtiges Anliegen, den Auftrag der Bundeswehr als Rückgrat unserer freiheitlichen Demokratie zu unterstützen. Hier unser Programm 2024.

stock.adobe.com/ink drop

Radicalisation as last resort?

The disorientation in the “climate fight” and the limits of activism in extremism

Climate activism in Germany is in a state of flux. Radicalisation tendencies and links with left-wing extremist elements are leading to political challenges. Groups that focus on confrontational actions are on the rise and climate activist offences are increasing. The link between climate activist groups and left-wing extremism is being monitored more closely by the security authorities. This change requires careful analysis and a differentiated approach in order to assess the potential threat to internal security accordingly.

Municipal Information Security and Resilience

An analysis of the German approach to support

An increasing number of IT security incidents in municipal administrations have left behind some noticeable damage for citizens. In the worst case, the administration no longer functioned and municipal services could not be provided. Municipalities are initially responsible for their own information security and are supported by the federal and state governments. Read the analysis to find out which services are available to the municipalities, which functions the federal and state governments assume and what is necessary to improve resilience at the municipal level.

Threat Perception and Deterrence after the Ukraine War

We asked the National Security Policy Center at the University of Virginia to take a closer look at threat perception and deterrence following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. They observe: "Given the complexity of the current strategic environment – and the West’s lethargic response to it – there is a need to refine our approach to risk in the context of deterrence."

Army seizes power in Gabon

A military coup as a warrant of democracy and the rule of law?

Francophone West and Central Africa are in further turmoil. After five military coups in the last three years (Mali, Chad, Guinea, Burkina Faso, Niger), the military also took power in Gabon at the end of August 2023. Is this military coup in Gabon also a result of recent anti-democratic developments in sub-saharan Africa, or can it be seen in a different light?

Adobe Stock / Maxim

50 years of Germany in the UN

The world in transition – Uniting for Peace?

A look at the past 50 years shows that Germany can successfully set a course: as a non-permanent member of the Security Council, through its membership in the Human Rights Council as well as in other UN bodies. The Namibia Initiative, the mediation between Iran and Iraq in the 1980s, participation in peace and stabilization missions, advocacy for the International Criminal Court or support for a special Ukraine-Tribunal, are all important steps to make the future on this planet safer, more peaceful, and sustainable.

IMAGO / IPON

Israel's regional foreign and security policy

Between Domestic Volatility, Regional Frictions and External Threats

Just days after Israel's President Isaac Herzog reassured the Biden administration about the state of democracy in Israel and praised the importance of bilateral relations with the US in his speech before the US Congress, the Knesset passed a portion of the controversial judicial reform shortly before its parliamentary summer break in late July. The debates surrounding the reform, which its opponents view as a threat to the democratic nature of the state, along with protests from various groups, have significantly heightened societal polarization in Israel over the past few months.

Additionally, security experts have increasingly warned of risks to Israel's internal and external security. These concerns were seemingly confirmed when, in the course of the last few weeks, more and more reservists declared their refusal to serve - in protest against the government's plans. Fears of a progressive erosion of social cohesion and consequently diminishing national resilience, which is considered by Israelis as an essential component of both internal and external security, are finding their foreign and security policy equivalent in the tense security situation on Israel's northern border, an escalating spiral of violence between Israelis and Palestinians, a more aggressive settlement policy under the current government, as well as closed doors for Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington and in the Arab Gulf.

Israel's Prime Minister, who in the past was attested by supporters and opponents alike to have an excellent sense of foreign and security policy – often referred to as "Mr. Security" – has propelled himself into a predicament in this area as well; his hardline political coalition partners have played a not inconsiderable role in this. An overview of the current regional foreign and security policy developments highlights the various areas of tension.