Bonn Future Lab on Strategic Foresight – Global Energy Transitions
Master of Arts in "Strategy and International Security" (MSIS)
International Security Forum Bonn
Interdisciplinary Research Projects
Integrated Security and Global Sustainability
Bonn Future Lab on Strategic Foresight – Global Energy Transitions
Master of Arts in "Strategy and International Security" (MSIS)
International Security Forum Bonn
Interdisciplinary Research Projects

Our Mission

The Center for Advanced Security, Strategic and Integration Studies (CASSIS) is an interdisciplinary research center at the Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn in the field of strategic foresight, European and security policy research. Committed to the approach "Global Challenges Need European Responses", CASSIS contributes in interdisciplinary and inter-institutional work to develop, evaluate and publicly discuss European strategies to current challenges in the field of foreign and security policy. 

Our Partners

Since 2019, CASSIS has developed into an important platform for the transfer of academic expertise and knowledge on pressing strategic topics both to the academic and non-academic audiences through a range of our research and high-profile teaching and event formats. While doing so, we were able to receive invaluable support from our great partners. CASSIS is very grateful to their support and we are proud to be well connected to many wonderful institutions. Together with our valued and trusted partners, we are able to foster discussions on matters of strategic importance near and abroad and jointly conduct and advance important research projects.


Current

Dossier Middle East

The experts at CASSIS analyse the current conflict in Gaza and other escalations in the Middle East and offer relevant information on its context and background.

Dossier Ukraine

The experts of CASSIS offer in various formats from their interdisciplinary perspectives classification and analysis on the Russian attack on Ukraine and its background.

Dossier Ukraine
© CASSIS
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© CASSIS

The International Security Forum Bonn 2023

From 19 October to 22 October 2023, ISFB will be held for the eighth time in person on the premises of the University of Excellence Bonn as the most important international security conference in North Rhine-Westphalia and all neighboring federal states.


Our Focus

Research at CASSIS revolves around a broad conception of security: On the one hand, the focus lies on the interdisciplinary examination of traditional foreign and security issues such as inter-state conflicts, competing international systems of order and a return of geopolitics. On the other hand, researchers examine non-traditional security challenges such as cyber and energy security, terrorism and human security, focusing in particular on health and food security.

Eine Wissenschaftlerin und ein Wissenschaftler arbeiten hinter einer Glasfassade und mischen Chemikalien mit Großgeräten.
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Integrated Security and Global Sustainability

 
 

Lead:                                                     Prof. Dr. Volker Kronenberg
Prof. Dr. Wolfram Hilz 
Prof. Dr. Ulrich Schlie

Globus der den atlantischen Ozean zeigt
© Juliana Kozoski/Unsplash

Security and Strategy Research

Henry Kissinger Professorship for Security and Strategy Research




Prof. Dr. Ulrich Schlie

Politik und Governance.png
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Global Infrastructures

Politics and Governance of Global Infrastructures



Lead:
Prof. Dr. Maximilian Mayer

Challenge East Bild
© Evgeny Feldman

Challenge East - Handlungsstrategien der Europäer in der östlichen Nachbarschaft

Lead:                                                     Prof. Dr. Wolfram Hilz                         Prof. Dr. Andreas Heinemann-Grüder

News
Review of the Summer School on ‘The Geography of Hunger in a Multi-Crisis World’ in August

We congratulate the CASSIS Fellows Dr. Rogelio Madrueño and Prof. Dr. Sergio Tezanos for the successful completion of the summer school on ‘The Geography of Hunger in a Multi-Crisis World’, which took place in Santander in collaboration with the University of Cantabria, the Spanish Network of Development Studies (REEDES) and with the support of the BBVA Foundation and AECID.

Prof. Dr. Ulrich Schlie takes up visiting professorship at the University of St Andrews

We are delighted to announce that Prof. Dr. Ulrich Schlie has taken up a visiting professorship as Joint Research Professor at the School of International Relations at the renowned University of St Andrews in Scotland on August 1, 2024. The CASSIS team and the Henry Kissinger Professorship warmly congratulate Mr. Schlie on this success!

Congratulations to Dr. Enrico Fels for a third-party funding success!

We are delighted to announce that the Managing Director of CASSIS and space expert Dr. Enrico Fels has successfully acquired funding from the German Space Agency at the German Aerospace Center (DLR) for the study on “Europe's Technological Sovereignty in Space”, which will begin in August 2024. Congratulations to him and the colleagues involved!

Commemorative event “The Bundeswehr and the legacy of July 20, 1944” in Dresden

To mark the 80th anniversary of the assassination attempt on Hitler and the attempted coup d'état by the group led by Claus Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg, a colloquium organized jointly with the Army Officers' School, the July 20, 1944 Foundation, the Henry Kissinger Professorship at the University of Bonn and the Chair of European History at Chemnitz University discussed the significance of July 20, 1944 for the Bundeswehr in its current mission. The event took place on July 11, 2024 at the Offiziersschule des Heeres in Dresden.

Cooperation event on international perspectives on the Gaza war at the University of Bonn

On July 9, 2024, the Kölner Forum für Internationale Beziehungen und Sicherheit e.V. (KFIBS), in cooperation with the Bonner Hochschulgriuppe für Sicherheits- und Außenpolitik (BHAS), hosted a panel discussion on international perspectives on the Gaza war. Fenja Wiluda and Dr. Sascha Arnautović focused on the different interests in the Gulf States and the USA, which clash in the international dimension of the conflict.

The lecture series ‘Maritime challenges of the 21st century’ in retrospect

What challenges does maritime security present us with in the 21st century? A lecture series in retrospect.

CASSIS at the Parliamentary Breakfast “Silk Road”

On Friday, July 5, 2024, the Johannes Rau Research Association held the Parliamentary Breakfast “Silk Road” in North Rhine-Westphalia's State Parliament, where Nicolas Huppenbauer from CASSIS presented research from his doctoral thesis on the topic of “De-Risking or Connectivity - China’s Economic Role in NRW.”

Young Leaders Summer Academy on "Climate change and Security"

The CASSIS and the ICI organised a Summer Academy for future decision-makers from the Middle East and Europe, focussing on the nexus of climate change and security.

Current Media Contributions
Prof. Dr. Volker Kronenberg in a Phoenix interview about the state elections

In the Phoenix interview, Prof. Dr. Volker Kronenberg comments on the results of the state elections in Thuringia and Saxony.

Dr. Joachim Weber in an NTV interview on the Ramstein meeting

In the NTV interview, Dr. Joachim Weber puts the Ramstein meeting in Germany in perspective.

Dr. Frank Umbach in a Phoenix interview on the new air defence system and the situation in Ukraine

In the Phoenix interview, CASSIS Fellow Dr. Frank Umbach comments on the commissioning of new IRIS-T air defence systems and assesses the current situation in Ukraine.

Prof. Dr. Ulrich Schlie in an interview with the Liechtensteiner Vaterland

Prof. Dr. Ulrich Schlie has published an anthology on Liechtenstein's strategy during the Second World War against the backdrop of the National Socialist threat.

Dr. Hüseyin Cicek in the Neue Zürcher Zeitung on Turkish-Israeli relations

In a guest article for the Neue Zürcher Zeitung, Dr. Hüseyin Cicek analyses the risk of escalation in Turkish-Israeli relations.

Dr. Joachim Weber in a Phoenix interview on the informal meeting of EU foreign ministers

In an interview with Phoenix, CASSIS Fellow Dr Joachim Weber comments on the informal meeting of EU foreign ministers.

Guest article by Prof. Dr. Ulrich Schlie in Cicero on the additions to the Bundeswehr's Traditions Decree

Following public criticism, the Federal Ministry of Defense has withdrawn additions to the Bundeswehr's decree on tradition. In Cicero, Prof. Dr. Ulrich Schlie criticizes the decision with regard to the military leadership's lack of understanding of tradition.

Prof. Dr. Volker Kronenberg in a Phoenix interview on the package of measures after Solingen

In the Phoenix interview, Prof. Dr. Volker Kronenberg analyses the package of measures following the attack in Solingen.


Events

CASSIS offers a wide range of events on current foreign and security policy issues. 

Eine Wissenschaftlerin und ein Wissenschaftler arbeiten hinter einer Glasfassade und mischen Chemikalien mit Großgeräten.
© CASSIS
Past events
Afghanistan im Kreuzfeuer: Zwischen Taliban und Geopolitik
University Forum Bonn, ...
06:00 PM - 08:00 PM
Afghanistan is once again at the center of international attention. With the abrupt withdrawal of US troops and the rapid takeover of power by the Taliban in ...
Der Duisburger Hafen – eine unterschätzte maritime Infrastruktur
Lecture Hall VII, Main ...
06:15 PM - 07:45 PM
Duisburger Hafen AG (duisport) is the owner and management company of the Port of Duisburg, the largest inland port in the world. As the most important trade ...
What Triggers Extreme Food Insecurity? The case of Somalia
Genscherallee 3, 53113 ...
02:00 PM - 04:00 PM
Join us to explore the complex interplay of climatic shocks, violent conflicts, and food insecurity in Somalia from 2017 to 2023. This event will provide a ...
Die Bekämpfung von Piraterie & Terrorismus auf Hoher See
Lecture Hall VII, Main ...
06:15 PM - 07:45 PM
In the third decade of the 21st century, it is becoming increasingly clear that we are facing major challenges. Humanity's hunger for resources is growing, ...

Current Scientific Publications
Faith and confession in the German resistance against Hitler

In the commemorative publication for Andreas Sohn, Prof. Dr. Ulrich Schlie describes the role of the Christian faith in the German resistance against Hitler.

The Challenges of Protecting Critical Undersea Infrastructure

In his publication, Dr. Frank Umbach analyses the security policy challenges for NATO in defending critical undersea infrastructure against Russia.

The memory of July 20, 1944: more relevant than ever today

On the 80th anniversary of the failed assassination attempt on Adolf Hitler on July 20, 1944, Prof. Dr. Ulrich Schlie discusses the significance of the memorial day today.

Ludwig Erhard - Experiences for the future. My time as Chancellor (1963-1966)

More than 45 years after his death, the memoirs of the German Chancellor and father of the economic miracle Ludwig Erhard are now being published. The work is edited by Prof. Dr. Ulrich Schlie in cooperation with the Ludwig Erhard Foundation.

Reichsgraf Paul Wolff Metternich zur Gracht

Prof. Dr. Ulrich Schlies' article in the “New German Biography” provides an overview of the life and work of the diplomat Paul Metternich as German ambassador in London from 1901 to 1912, who was a great advocate of German-British rapprochement throughout his life.

Neo-Ottoman Soft Power: AKP’s Strategic Use of Turkish-Islamic Organizations in the German-Speaking Diaspora

In his new specialist publication, PD Dr. Hüseyin Çiçek sheds light on how the AKP is increasingly relying on soft power as a power mechanism alongside established political alliances in order to promote its interests internationally. Particular attention is paid to addressing and integrating the Turkish diaspora through emotional and cultural ties. The analysis also touches on the impact of the AKP's minority policy on its foreign policy ambitions.

Strategic competition in space: politics, law, security and economics in space

For the first time since the end of the Cold War, this anthology takes stock of the current activities, legal framework, political and military lines of conflict and areas of cooperation as well as further trends and challenges in space. On the one hand, the legal, military, economic and technological challenges of the growing importance of this strategically important area are analyzed. On the other hand, the ability and need for action of selected space powers, their cooperation possibilities and conflict potentials as well as the need for international political regulation are worked out and, based on this, political recommendations for action are presented.

The ministerial dismissals of Rudolf Scharping (SPD) and Norbert Röttgen (CDU) in comparative perspective

Prof. Dr. Ulrich Schlies' contribution provides a comparative historical analysis of the ministerial dismissals of Rudolf Scharping as Defense Minister by Federal Chancellor Gerhard Schröder in July 2002 and of Norbert Röttgen as Environment Minister by Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel in May 2012.


Contact

CASSIS - Center for Advanced Security, Strategic and Integration Studies

Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn

Contact

+49 (0)228/73 3579

cassis(at)uni-bonn.de

Adress

4th Floor
Römerstraße 164
D-53117 Bonn

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