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.
Current
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.


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.


EUCERS: Climate an Energy Security
European Cluster for Climate, Energy and Resource Security
Lead:
Dr. Frank Umbach
Prof. Dr. Wolfram Hilz
Prof. Dr. Volker Kronenberg

Security and Strategy Research
Henry Kissinger Professorship for Security and Strategy Research
Prof. Dr. Ulrich Schlie

Global Infrastructures
Politik and Governance of Global Infrastructures
Lead:
Prof. Dr. Maximilian Mayer

International Security Forum Bonn
The ISFB is a high-level international event to ensure dialogue on current foreign and security policy issues.
for the anthology „Sicherheitspolitik nach der Zeitenwende. Herausforderungen, Trends und Perspektiven für Deutschland und Europa“
Philip Nock, Research Fellow and PhD Candidate at CASSIS, et al. are conceptualising the "Second Cold War" between the US and China in comparison to the First Cold War in an article for the "Geopolitics" Journal.
In his publication "Prospects of Great Power Rivalry: Escaping the Tragedy?", Dr. Enrico Fels takes a scholarly look at expected future developments regarding rivalry between great powers in the Routledge Handbook of the Future of Warfare, which will be published on Sept. 19, 2023 and provides a comprehensive overview of the future of warfare that is both problem- and practice-oriented.
The Junior-Professorship for International Relations and Global Technology Politics offers the supervision of a Master's thesis in the topics of European science collaboration and international politics of research infrastructures as of 1 October 2023.
Ambassador (ret.) Dr. Hans-Dieter Heumann, Senior Fellow at the Center for Advanced Security, Strategic and Integration Studies, discusses French European policy under Emmanuel Macron with Dr. Markus Kaim, Senior Fellow in the Security Policy Research Group of the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP).
The research group "Autonomy and Autonomous Systems" has published the call for paper "From Automation to Autonomy: Human Machine Relations in the Age of Artificial Intelligence " for a Special Issue to be published in the 'Human-Machine Communication' Journal.
Dr. Friedbert Pflüger, head of the European Cluster for Climate, Energy and Resource Security (EUCERS), discusses in his publication the advantages of the American Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) compared to the means of European climate policy.
Sophie Freifrau von Bechtolsheim and Ulrich Schlie recalled the legacy of 20 July 1944 at the Bundeswehr Military Police and Staff Service School in Hanover.
Dr. Frank Umbach, Head of Research at the EUCERS Cluster, talks about the current Ukraine war in a live interview on WeltN24 with host Katja Losch.
Interview for the TV station Welt/N24 with Dr. Frank Umbach and the presenter Lena Mosel.
Dr. Joachim Weber, Senior Fellow Strategic Foresight and Risk Analysis, in an RTL interview on Prigozhin's death.
Dr. Frank Umbach, head of research at the EUCERS cluster, with assessments of the plane crash in Russia and the consequences of the possible death of Wagner chief Prigozhin and other members of the mercenary force's leadership.
Prof. Dr. Heinemann-Grüder, Associate Fellow at the Center for Advanced Security, Strategic and Integration Studies (CASSIS), in Tagesthemen on Prigozhin's death and the whereabouts of the Wagner Group.
Dr. Frank Umbach, Head of Research at the EUCERS Cluster, speaks in a live interview on Phoenix in Studio Bonn with host Maja Weber about Prigozhin's role for the Putin regime, in the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine.
Dr. Joachim Weber, Senior Fellow Strategic Foresight and Risk Analysis, on the BRICS Summit in Johannesburg.
Dr. Frank Umbach, research director of the EUCERS cluster, talks to host Maja Weber in a live interview on Phoenix about the delivery of Israel's Arrow-3 missile defense system and the development of a comprehensive European missile defense umbrella.
Events
CASSIS offers a wide range of events on current foreign and security policy issues.

Philip Nock, Research Fellow and PhD Candidate at CASSIS, et al. are conceptualising the "Second Cold War" between the US and China in comparison to the First Cold War in an article for the "Geopolitics" Journal.
In his publication "Prospects of Great Power Rivalry: Escaping the Tragedy?", Dr. Enrico Fels takes a scholarly look at expected future developments regarding rivalry between great powers in the Routledge Handbook of the Future of Warfare, which will be published on Sept. 19, 2023 and provides a comprehensive overview of the future of warfare that is both problem- and practice-oriented.
Ambassador (ret.) Dr. Hans-Dieter Heumann, Senior Fellow at the Center for Advanced Security, Strategic and Integration Studies, discusses French European policy under Emmanuel Macron with Dr. Markus Kaim, Senior Fellow in the Security Policy Research Group of the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP).
In his publication, Prof. Dr. Xiangming Chen, Visiting Fellow of CASSIS, discusses the significance of China's Silk Road Initiative.
Dr. Friedbert Pflüger, head of the European Cluster for Climate, Energy and Resource Security (EUCERS), discusses in his publication the advantages of the American Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) compared to the means of European climate policy.
The French president's comments on Taiwan have made waves in Europe. And rightly so. Emmanuel Macron has gone too far this time. Once again, he wanted to provoke his partners and thus initiate a new debate about Europe's strategic autonomy. In the end, he got himself into hot water diplomatically. His message was lost and the impression took root that he wanted to maintain an equidistance from the U.S. and China in the conflict over the island state. It has often been overlooked that France, with its overseas territories and its 9 million km2 exclusive economic zone, does have interests in the region, and vital ones at that.
In his publication, Dr. Frank Umbach discussed the new challenges in power supply security.
The world looks for German leadership in its National Security Strategy, the first in German history, unveiled on June 14, 2023. It offered reassurances of Germany as a reliable partner in Europe, the transatlantic alliance, NATO, and the G7, as well as confirmed its commitment to the values of a free, democratic order and the international rule of law.
CASSIS - Center for Advanced Security, Strategic and Integration Studies
Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn