Our Mission

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.

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.

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

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.”

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.

We are pleased to announce that the Managing Director of CASSIS and security expert Dr. Enrico Fels has been successful in obtaining funding from the European Climate Foundation for the research project on "H2 Reality Check - Reappraising the EU's H2 Strategy in a New Era of Geopolitical Disruptions", which will start in July 2024. Congratulations to him and the colleagues involved!

From June 27 to 28, 2024, students from the Master’s Program “Strategy and International Security” (MSIS) embarked on an insightful field trip to Brussels, visiting the Brussels office of the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS) and NATO Headquarters. The field trip was organized by Dr. Cedric Bierganns, KAS Bonn, Philipp van Helden, Research Fellow at the Henry-Kissinger-Chair for Security and Strategic Studies and Ambassador (ret.) Dirk Brengelmann, Fellow at CASSIS. On the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the North Atlantic Treaty, the students engaged in discussions with high-ranking officials from EU, NATO, and other renowned think tanks about current challenges and the future of transatlantic and European Security.

How can middle powers succeed in maintaining an independent technology policy in the face of intensifying rivalry between the United States and China? Through more cooperation!

In an interview with NTV, CASSIS Fellow Dr Frank Umbach analyses the Republican reactions to Kamala Harris and what consequences this could have for the presidential election campaign.

Dr Nicole Renvert comments on the high costs of the American presidential election campaign in an article in the Berliner Morgenpost.

In an interview with NTV, CASSIS Fellow Dr Frank Umbach analyses the consequences of Joe Biden's withdrawal for the US presidential election campaign.

In an interview with NTV, Dr Joachim Weber analyses the danger of an escalation spiral due to current developments, such as the stationing of US weapons in Germany.

In an interview with NTV, CASSIS Fellow Dr Frank Umbach analyses the extent to which Europe and Germany have adequately prepared for a second Trump presidency.

In a guest article in Zeit Online, Prof. Dr. Andreas Heinemann-Grüder criticises the planned cuts to diplomacy and development aid in the draft budget.

In an interview with NTV, Dr. Joachim Weber analyses the Russian war economy and the prospect of a war of exhaustion.

In an interview with Focus Online, Dr. Hans-Dieter Heumann analyses the potential consequences for NATO if Donald Trump wins the presidential election.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

The Bonn Future Lab on Strategic Foresight took place as the second segment of the International Security Forum Bonn 2023 from October 20-22, 2023 in the UN and federal city of Bonn. Over the course of the multi-day format, the strategic challenges, risks and opportunities arising from the changing energy landscape were discussed and the resulting future prospects for German and European energy policy were examined.