May the Rules Be With You - AI, Big Tech and the Future of Peace and Cooperation

Bonn Symposium 2026

The Bonn Symposium 2026 takes AI and Big Tech seriously as new geopolitical powers. It asks how these technological innovations can be harnessed to promote equitable global development without creating or reinforcing new dependencies. And what responsibilities does this entail for policymakers, businesses, civil society and international cooperation? Register now!

Three-part online series (in English)

1) Between Regulation and Innovation: Power and Access in the AI Age, 30 September 2026, 12:30–13:30

2) From Early Warning to Escalation: AI, Cyber Threats, and Resilience, 14 October 2026, 12:30–13:30

3) Amplifying Asymmetries? How AI is Transforming Labour Markets and International Diplomacy, 28 October 2026, 12:30–13:30 

Evening event in Bonn (in German)

Big Tech as a Geopolitical Actor: Peace and Development in the Digital Age, 17 November 2026, 18:00 (doors 17:30)

Writing the Rules for a Digital World: The EU AI Act and its Global Implications

Policy Lunch 2026
12 November 2026, 12:00, Brussels

The EU’s new digital regulations aim to strengthen user protection, fair competition and digital sovereignty. At this year’s Policy Lunch, international experts will discuss what these rules mean for the Global South and how Europe can foster innovation and inclusive development without creating new barriers. Register now!

Transforming Partnerships? Africa and the Future of International Cooperation

Save-the-date: Potsdam Africa Dialogues
23-24 November 2026, Potsdam

Partnership is a key concept in German policy towards Africa and is becoming increasingly important in times of global upheaval. The Potsdam Africa Dialogues 2026 will explore how international cooperation can be shaped in collaboration with African governments, institutions, businesses and civil society organisations – guided by their priorities and interests. We look forward to the discussions and to contributions from Olaf Scholz (MP), Dr Henrik Maihack and Chenayi Mutambasere. Further information will follow shortly on our website.

Legal Struggles Between Managerialism and Authoritarianism: Contesting European Supply Chain Regulation

New Article in German Political Science Quarterly

In a new article, INEF staff member Christian Scheper, in collaboration with Sonja Buckel, Maximilian Pichl and Carolina Vestena, examines how European supply chain regulations are coming under increasing pressure from authoritarian tendencies in governance. The article also explores the efforts of civil society actors to defend these regulations through various means, including grievance procedures, labour disputes, and legal disputes over interpretation.

When the Cornerstone Cracks: The NPT and the Future of the Global Nuclear Order

New Commentary for European Leadership Network

After 16 years without a consensus final document, the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) review process is facing growing challenges. In their commentary for the European Leadership Network, INEF staff members Carmen Wunderlich and Leonardo Bandarra examine what repeated deadlock means for the future of global nuclear governance. The authors argue that while the NPT remains the cornerstone of the international non-proliferation regime, political momentum is increasingly shifting to parallel initiatives, raising questions about the Treaty’s long-term centrality and the risk of a more fragmented nuclear order.

The New Warlords: Containing the Dynamics of Violance 

Presentation of the 2026 Peace Report

On 8 June 2026, INEF and three other leading peace research institutes (PRIF, IFSH, bicc) presented the 2026 Peace Report at the Federal Press Conference in Berlin. The assessment by the experts: Military force is increasingly being used again as a regular instrument of international politics. A recording of the Federal Press Conference is available here for German-speaking audiences.

Following the Federal Press Conference, the research institutes presented the 2026 Peace Report at federal ministries and to parliamentary groups. Among other occasions, Dr Carmen Wunderlich, Prof. Tobias Debiel and Prof. Johannes Vüllers formally handed over the report to State Secretary Niels Annen at the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).

The report was also discussed publicly at the panel discussion “Do the United Nations Still Have a Future?”.  A recording of the event is available here for German-speaking audiences.

Autocrats and Algorithms: Tools to Defend Press Freedom in the Age of AI

sef: Session at the DW Global Media Forum

The session explored practical strategies and tools that journalists can use to defend press freedom and safeguard journalistic integrity in the age of AI. The report is now available online.

Women, Peace and Security in Practice: Strengthening Participation, Protection and Local Action

Berlin Summer Dialogue 2026

The event focused on the practical implementation of the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) Agenda, and asked what it takes to strengthen it in fragile and conflict-affected contexts. The report is now available online.

Verification and Knowledge in a Nuclear Weapons World

Report on the VeSPoTec Side Event

As part of the 11th Review Conference of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) in New York, the VeSPoTec project team hosted a side event entitled “Verification and Knowledge in a Nuclear Weapons World”. The event, co-organized by INEF staff member Leonardo Bandarra, addressed how verification is not only a technical task, but also a deeply political and social practice shaped by trust, power, and institutional contexts. 

A detailed report on the event can be found here.

40 Years of sef: 

On 10 September 1986, the founding meeting of sef: took place at the State Chancellery in Düsseldorf. Ever since, our work has been guided by a conviction that was already at the heart of sef: 40 years ago: peace and development cannot be considered separately.

Over four decades, global challenges have changed fundamentally – but our mission has remained the same: to identify interconnections, bring together different perspectives and foster dialogue on pathways towards peace and sustainable development.

We are delighted to be looking back on 40 years of sef: – and to be looking ahead at our many events this year.

New Staff Member at INEF: Sarah Kappert 

Since 1 July 2026, Sarah Kappert has been working at INEF as a doctoral researcher on the “African Non-Military Conflict Intervention Practices (ANCIP)” project. Her research focuses on, among other things, military coups and unconstitutional changes of government, as well as multipolarity and geopolitical reordering in African regional contexts.

Albert Ahenkan Starts Fellowship at the College for Social Sciences and Humanities

Albert Ahenkan, Professor of Sustainable Development at the University of Ghana, has been selected as one of ten recognised international researchers for the Senior Fellowship Programme of the College for Social Sciences and Humanities. In the coming six months, he will work on the project “Sustainable Development in Times of Geopolitical Change” together with INEF Director Christof Hartmann. The project analyses how sustainability discourses and development strategies are being reshaped under the influence of EU policy shifts, assessing how selected African countries are responding to these changes.