bicc - Bonn International Centre for Conflict Studies

Our vision is a more peaceful world where the outbreak of violent conflict is prevented, allowing people to live safely, with dignity and in balance with their environment. www.bicc.de #biccbonn #formorepeace

The US is reportedly considering using the ‘Mother of All Bombs’ against Iran. What military objectives could such a strike achieve? In this Tagesspiegel article, bicc researcher Max Mutschler questions the weapon’s military effectiveness. Read the full article ➡️ https://shorturl.at/QCyCd

On 28–29 October 2026, bicc, Usmanu Danfodiyo University Sokoto (UDUS) and the NCTC Regional Center of Excellence will hold a policy roundtable in Abuja to share new findings from the PAVE project on armed groups in Northwest and North-central Nigeria. 🔗 https://shorturl.at/xfk19

How can Europe protect the Baltic states from a Russian invasion? In this interview, bicc researcher Max Mutschler discusses the limits of air strikes, the risk of escalation, arms control and accountability for the use of artificial intelligence. ➡️ https://shorturl.at/xWPiF

How do women and youth shape (re)integration and social reconstruction after conflict? RECONNECT asks when, how and under what conditions their formal and informal practices rebuild trust and foster inclusive co-existence and what barriers constrain them. 🔗 https://bicc.de/Projects/RECONNECT

How much rearmament can internal peace tolerate? 🕊️ That question drove this year’s annual Netzwerk Friedens- und Konfliktforschung NRW conference in Bonn, where participants debated NRW’s arms industry and how rearmament and polarisation affect society. Read the recap 👉 https://shorturl.at/3m0f5

This in-depth article in The New York Times discusses how and why European governments are working together with the Taliban to deport refugees back to Afghanistan. It includes quotes by bicc's Academic Director Conrad Schetter. Read the full article➡https://shorturl.at/AkCJU #bicc_bonn

Algeria is stepping up its influence in the Sahara as instability reshapes the region and competition for power intensifies. In the @Financial Times, bicc researcher Yvan Guichaoua offers insight. Read the full article: https://shorturl.at/4FLaD #bicc_bonn

Is it really "logical" that NATO received the 2026 Westphalian Peace Prize? According to Academic Director Conrad Schetter, strengthening the NATO alliance will not secure peace on its own. What one side understands as defence, the other reads as a threat. ➡ https://ow.ly/k7EV50ZVCM8 #bicc_bonn

📅Sunday, 11 Oct: in-person event in Bonn, Germany. bicc researcher Katja Mielke will discuss the current realities facing women in Afghanistan. (Event in German, organised by @ Ev. Thomas Kirchengemeinde in Bad Godesberg.)

This presentation by the Academic Director of bicc, Conrad Schetter, examines the strengths and challenges of the German Peace Report's long-running model of policy advice. A reservation is not required. More information ➡️ https://shorturl.at/Xz1wi

This bicc peacebit addresses the social and political positioning of Albanian-speaking returnee communities in the Presevo Valley vis-à-vis the Serbian state and society, as well as manifestations of social boundary-making in the region. Read the full peacebit ➡️ https://shorturl.at/WbW2b

Pakistan and the Taliban were once close allies. Now, tensions between the two are escalating. In this @DW article, bicc expert Conrad Schetter offers insights as why. (Original title: Pakistan und die Taliban: Das Ende eines Bündnisses) Read the full article: https://ow.ly/vwqt50ZTXp6

bicc is honoured to co-organise the 22nd Integrated Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration (DDR) Training Group (IDDRTG) Annual General Meeting alongside UNITAR in Geneva on 6 October. This year's extraordinary meeting of the IDDRTG is taking place on 7 October in Geneva as well.

At the Berlin Peace Dialogue 2026, the Advisory Board to the Federal Government for Civilian Crisis Prevention and Peacebuilding shares its expertise on new, more flexible partnerships for civilian conflict management. Find out more about the event and register by 1 Oct ➡️https://shorturl.at/VO7ut

bicc - Bonn International Centre for Conflict Studies Academic Director Conrad Schetter commented on ARD Mediathek (BRISANT) about Saturday's meeting between German and Russian foreign ministers and the role of face-to-face diplomacy. Watch the clip (timestamp 4:44): https://ow.ly/HFWE50ZT3Si

As part of the ongoing project Breaking Patterns of Armed Violence (PAVE), Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto (UDUS) and bicc are coming together for a strategic hybrid Knowledge Exchange event in Sokoto, Nigeria on 8 October 2026. 🌍More of the PAVE Project available here https://shorturl.at/mPD2D

We are living in a time of a new arms race and growing militarisation. In this episode of the podcast Peace Talk by Josef Mühlbauer, bicc researcher Dr Max Mutschler puts these developments into context. ➡️ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qq8bRgycbNc

30 Sept, 12:30 - 13:30 hrs CET: Webinar - Between Regulation and Innovation: Power and access in the AI Age Learn more: https://ow.ly/PpW050ZRjUi

Webinar Wed 30 Sept: How do powerful political and economic actors shape life in contested borderlands? bicc senior researcher Katja Mielke will be joining colleagues on the panel to discuss. Register: https://ow.ly/M3er50ZQSnv #bicc_bonn

We're looking for a Postdoctoral Researcher (f/m/d) for RECONNECT, a research project on how women and youth drive peacebuilding and social reconstruction in conflict- and displacement-affected regions: Middle East, Eastern Europe, South-Eastern Europe and the Sahel. 🔗 https://shorturl.at/bYbdo

In "Restoring Diversity after War and Displacement? Lessons from Refugee Returns in Post-Yugoslavia," bicc researchers Ruth Vollmer and Clara Schmitz-Pranghe examine what one of the most ambitious efforts to reverse displacement can teach refugee return policies. ➡️ https://shorturl.at/a8qno

bicc experts help interface between academia, politics, practitioners, the public and the media. In this Jeune Afrique article, Yvan Guichaoua comments on the use of drones by Malian authorities. https://ow.ly/wMmU50ZPIVO

New reporting by Bellingcat examines the recurring pattern of civilian casualties linked to #drone strikes in Mali, featuring insights from bicc researcher Yvan Guichaoua. https://ow.ly/MgYg50ZPKu3 #bicc_bonn

The Houthis’ advance along Yemen’s Red Sea coast has raised concerns over the strategic Bab al-Mandab strait, a vital route for international shipping. In this Tagesspiegel article, bicc - Bonn International Centre for Conflict Studies expert Marius Bales offers insights. https://ow.ly/rKo650ZPE3q

What does Syria’s transition look and feel like beyond the headlines? bicc Senior Researchers Osman Bahadır Dinçer and Zeynep Şahin-Mencüte, along with Bahar Baser (Durham University), share their research journey through Damascus, Aleppo, Raqqa and Hama. https://shorturl.at/Bkkqb

Drawing on fieldwork across Syria, this bicc report by Osman Bahadır Dinçer, Zeynep Şahin-Mencütek, Abdullah Al-Jabassini and Joseph Daher examines how returnees navigate a rapidly changing political, security and economic landscape. Read the full report. ➡️ https://shorturl.at/NsoRr

How can the African Union curb the proliferation of drones to non-state armed groups (NSAGs)? This bicc - Bonn International Centre for Conflict Studies policy report outlines key elements of a potential AU strategy to reduce drone proliferation to NSAGs. 🔗 https://shorturl.at/L4QWe

In Kilosa, central Tanzania, local peace committees have helped rebuild peaceful relations between pastoralist and farming communities after decades of violent conflict. Read the full article on Peace News. ➡️ https://shorturl.at/vbbor Co-written by Conrad Schetter, Director of bicc.

Stay in the loop with bicc’s newsletter! 📢 Whether you're a journalist, policy maker, researcher, practioner or simply curious about our work, this is your go-to source for the latest research-based insights into the dynamics and consequences of violent conflicts.📩 ➡️ https://bicc.de/Newsletter

In an interview with various international media bicc Senior Researcher Yvan Guichaoua explains what we know about the coup attempt that occurred in Niger last Saturday and discusses the consequences for the incumbent military regime. Find the articles here ➡️ https://bicc.de/Media

Wir suchen Verstärkung! Für unser Projekt „Jugend am Scheideweg: Marginalisierung und Mainstream in der politischen Sozialisation von geflüchteten Jugendlichen in Deutschland" (MAPS) suchen wir einen Wissenschaftlichen Mitarbeiter (m/w/d) in Vollzeit. Mehr Infos hier ➡️ https://shorturl.at/N8Ken

Registration deadline extended: Sign up by September 8. The Annual Conference of the North Rhine-Westphalia Network for Peace and Conflict Research will take place at the University of Bonn on September 14. Register here ➡️ https://shorturl.at/ddRl8

On the International Day Against Nuclear Tests, we're revisiting bicc Fellow Ryan Swan's report, “A bomb for Germany? A strategic analysis of Germany's and Europe's nuclear independence”, exploring the risks and realities of nuclear weapons. ➡️ https://shorturl.at/r4SGS (in German)

Working in sustainable partnerships based on trust, diversity and respect is key to our work at bicc - Bonn International Centre for Conflict Studies! This is why we are immensely happy to welcome our PAVE project partners for a two-day meeting at bicc in Bonn, Germany . #bicc_bonn

In this new peacebit, bicc researcher Clara Schmitz-Pranghe, together with Dilek Üstünalan and Albina Ujkanović, examines various dimensions of return and belonging among people from the Sandžak, a historical border region between Serbia and Montenegro. ➡️ https://shorturl.at/mvInU

This article on the governance of internal displacement in post-conflict Iraq focuses on how shifting power relations between Baghdad, the KRG, non-state actors and international donors shape camp closures, (non-)return and the vulnerabilities faced by displaced persons. 🔗https://shorturl.at/zN4nI

Our new episode of ‘The Sahel Untold’ explores the conflict in Northwest Nigeria through the story of Usman, who became a target in a landscape shaped by violence, stigma and political narratives. Listen to the newest episode -> https://shorturl.at/lqG9z #bicc_bonn #bicc_agents_and_patterns

Africa's lithium rush is accelerating in regions where governance is fragile and armed groups are adapting faster than the state — with extraction risking deeper insecurity rather than development. Oyewole Oginni joined News Central TV as an analyst to discuss this. 🔗https://shorturl.at/FS9F2

Wir suchen eine Studentische Hilfskraft (m/w/d) für den Bereich Flucht- und Flüchtlingsforschung ab dem 01.10.2026. Du übernimmst überwiegend Aufgaben aus den Bereichen Veranstaltungsorganisation, Betreuung der Datenbank, Recherche, weitere organisatorische Aufgaben.  🔗https://shorturl.at/ut9rH

As major donors pull back from development cooperation, the risk of organised violence in fragile contexts increases. Chapter 2 of Peace Report 2026 recommends: peace-building must be grounded in human rights and genuine multilateral cooperation. 🔗https://shorturl.at/te47O #WorldHumanitarianDay

Drones are an increasingly important part of modern warfare. In a new Al Jazeera article, bicc researcher Marius Bales explains how drones are shaping the armed conflict in Yemen. Read the full article ➡️ https://shorturl.at/nPq3J

Following the recent salary increase for Nigeria's military, Oyewole Oginni notes that the pay rise will boost troop morale on the frontlines — but lasting security still depends on deeper reforms, accountability and investment in socioeconomic development. 🔗 https://shorturl.at/D5hF2

When tens of thousands of people crossed into the Spanish exclave of Ceuta from Morocco in just a few days, a scale beyond anything seen before at this border. In an interview with taz, bicc researcher Daniele Saracino analyses the events and their aftermath. ➡️ https://shorturl.at/OfK08

Who are the Taliban? In a podcast with Deutschlandfunk, bicc director Conrad Schetter, explains how the Taliban regime came to be, what is their governance system and what are the frictions within the movement. ➡️ https://shorturl.at/LFWxk

We're hiring! bicc is looking for an Advisor (m/f/d) to join our Breaking Patterns of Armed Violence (PAVE) project, working on the prevention and reduction of armed group violence in Africa through evidence-based DDR processes. ➡️ https://shorturl.at/pRPAm

Du möchtest die digitale Zukunft der Friedens- und Konfliktforschung mitgestalten? Wir suchen einen Daten- und Informationsmanager (m/w/d). Wenn Du Interesse an Forschungsdatenmanagement, Open Science und digitalen Prozessen hast, kannst Du dich bis zum 23. 08 bewerben! ➡️ https://shorturl.at/VB3Cp

bicc is pleased to share the Special Issue Processes of Migration Returns and Reintegration, published in International Migration and guest edited by Zeynep Şahin-Mencütek with Richa Shivakoti. Several articles draw on bicc's past projects. Congrats to all contributors ! 🔗 https://shorturl.at/8LVNL

Save the date: 14 September 2026! The Annual Conference of the North Rhine-Westphalia Network for Peace and Conflict Research takes place at the University of Bonn. Register by 31 August ➡️ https://shorturl.at/ddRl8

Sustainable capacity development is central to Germany's partnership with RECSA — helping regional institutions and member states internalise standards, deepen expertise and strengthen cooperation. Read the full report by Milena Berks (bicc) and Anne Karithwa (RECSA). ➡️https://shorturl.at/nEuA2

Germany’s arms exports to Israel are once again at the center of international attention. In this Al Jazeera article, bicc Senior Researcher Max Mutschler provides expert analysis on what it reveals about Germany’s current arms export policy. ➡️ https://shorturl.at/qHZ8f