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This PRIF Report analyzes police use of lethal force in Brazil and the Philippines, two countries with comparatively high levels of police lethality and upward trends in recent years after political shifts toward iron-fisted policies. Based on competing explanations proposed by conflict theory and consensus theory, it analyzes how far variation can be explained by structural variables such as demography, economy, and crime levels on police use of deadly force at the subnational level. The results challenge both theories, suggesting that politics may be a relevant trigger for coercive policing.

Wie mit dem Klimawandel umgehen, das wird aktuell intensiv diskutiert. Die Klimabewegung betont die Notwendigkeit einer globalen, sozialen und ökologischen Transformation, dafür intensiviert sie den Protest auch in Deutschland. Zunehmend stehen Aktionen des zivilen Ungehorsams im Zentrum. Im Raum steht der Vorwurf der Radikalisierung in die Gewalt, aktuell ist dieser allerdings unbegründet: Die Bewegung entfaltet sich auf dem Terrain des Demokratischen, verleiht der legitimierten Forderung nach Einhaltung des 1,5-Grad-Ziels von Paris Nachdruck und skizziert Visionen aus der Krise heraus.

On 21st February 2023, the Chinese Foreign Ministry released its concept for a "Global Security Initiative", a white paper outlining the country's proposed solution to challenges across traditional and non-traditional security issues. While the content mostly amounts to a restatement of long-standing principles and pooling of existing activities under a new label, its packaging as a "global initiative" should be seen as a statement of intent, claiming a much greater role in international politics. The sketched Chinese security agenda differs significantly from that of Western powers in both its principles and practices, making this field a new arena of competition between both sides.

In the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, chemical and biological weapons have once again attracted international attention due to disinformation efforts on the part of Russian officials. International forums which oversee the ban on these weapons are being used to accuse Ukraine and its allies of violating their legal obligations. Many of Russia's accusations regarding chemical weapons resemble the patterns of deception observed in the past, while disinformation on biological weapons is displaying somewhat novel characteristics. Yet, there are tangible ways of counteracting such disinformation, thereby protecting the ban on chemical and biological weapons.

While the externalization of border enforcement to African states may have contributed to a decline in arrivals to Europe via the Mediterranean Sea, Nigerien and European Union (EU) authorities have neglected the immense negative impacts of these migration policies on local communities, refugees, and migrants. This spotlight provides an overview of the local implications of the EU's strategy of externalizing its borders towards transit states in Africa. It focuses on the case of Agadez in Niger, which has been the primary transit city within the Sahel region for migrants and refugees in transit to Europe.

In the second Nagorno-Karabakh war in 2020, Azerbaijan achieved a decisive victory over Armenia. Quite surprisingly, Israel was a key player in this conflict, providing Azerbaijan with extensive support in the form of technology and arms. This support is part of a bigger research puzzle: How can Israel's involvement in this conflict be explained? This report offers an explanation by showing how both geopolitical factors and identity struggle are intertwined. Using the lens of critical geopolitical analysis, the report argues that not only realist factors, but also social constructions of security as well as national and cultural identity play into Israel's interest in the region.

Antarctic diplomacy has famously shielded the continent of peace, science, and environmental protection from outside conflict and war. This "exceptionalism" is now being tested by Russia's war against Ukraine and the belief that international strategic competition between great powers is spilling over into the Antarctic. In order to keep the Antarctic exceptional, however, it would be wise to refocus on what has made Antarctic diplomacy so successful in the first place: cooperation in order to compete, or "co-opetition."

Brazil's presidential elections are scheduled to take place on October 2, 2022. The confrontation between the extreme-right incumbent president Bolsonaro and the center-left former president Lula Da Silva provides a rare setting. The election places Brazil at a crossroads and will set the stage for either a comprehensive commitment to democracy under Lula or a continuation along the path to authoritarianism under Bolsonaro. Recent polls suggest that the most likely scenario is a win for Lula. Nevertheless, Brazil's democratic institutions are continuously under attack. Currently, the possibility of the elections being preemptively cancelled or the final results being contested cannot be fully dismissed.

Turkey's presidential and parliamentary elections on June 18, 2023, will be a notable juncture point. These elections will determine the country's future and direction, and are therefore not only significant for domestic politics, but also at the international level as regards Turkey's capacity to serve as a global actor. During these elections, the opposition will take on the Justice and Development Party (AKP) and its leader Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to gain political power after two decades of AKP rule. They will only have a chance of success if they propose a strong candidate to challenge Erdoğan.

Seit 2021 fanden im mittelsächsischen Freiberg über 60 "Spaziergänge" gegen die Coronapolitik statt. Wie im ganzen Freistaat wurden die Proteste von den extrem rechten "Freien Sachsen" dominiert. Auch Mandatsträger:innen von Parteien unterstützten sie. Die Kommunalpolitik reagierte nur zögerlich. Erst ein Appell der Zivilgesellschaft veränderte die Situation: Der Oberbürgermeister distanzierte sich deutlich und wurde wiedergewählt. Nun braucht es politische Antworten auf anhaltende Polarisierung und Demokratieverdruss in der Region.

In den Nachtstunden des 8. Juli beschloss der Bundestag einen parlamentarischen Untersuchungsausschuss zu den letzten anderthalb Jahren des Afghanistan-Einsatzes. Noch am gleichen Tag setzte er darüber hinaus eine Enquete-Kommission ein, die Lehren aus dem gesamten militärischen und zivilen Einsatz formulieren soll. Was können die beiden unterschiedlich ausgerichteten Gremien zur Aufarbeitung des internationalen Scheiterns in Afghanistan beitragen?

Time and again, modern technology has enhanced arms control - with satellites, surveillance planes or more potent sensory equipment – to detect traces of forbidden substances. More recently, uncrewed vehicles found their way into the arsenals of arms control inspectors, enhancing verification. A very promising yet more difficult application will be to make use of artificial intelligence (AI) in arms control. However, many people have mixed emotions when it comes to AI, and exaggerated hopes as well as unjustified fears dominate the debate. The aim of this paper is to dispel reservations and, based on small projects, show how AI can be used in a reasonable way to enhance arms control and verification without getting caught up in hype.

Evaluationen in der Extremismusprävention sind häufig Gegenstand kontroverser Debatten. Um sie künftig praxisnah und zielorientierter gestalten zu können, müssen Bedarfe unter Einbeziehung der Praxisperspektive systematisch erhoben werden. Vor diesem Hintergrund haben die Autor:innen des PrEval-Projekts erstmals 429 Praktiker:innen aus den Phänomenfeldern islamistischer Extremismus und Rechtsextremismus zu den Themen Evaluation, wissenschaftliche Begleitung und Qualitätssicherung befragt. Der vorliegende Report fokussiert die Evaluationsbedarfe und -erfahrungen innerhalb der vielfältigen Landschaft der Extremismusprävention. Er führt zudem in zentrale Begrifflichkeiten ein, gleicht Evaluationsstandards ab und ordnet sie in den wissenschaftlichen Kenntnisstand ein. Das Ergebnis sind Empfehlungen für die Bereiche Qualitätssicherung und Evaluation in der deutschen Extremismusprävention, die der Weiterentwicklung im Feld dienen sollen.

Die Kooperation von zivilgesellschaftlichen und sicherheitsbehördlichen Akteuren in der Extremismusprävention und deren Evaluation stellen eine besondere Herausforderung dar. Hier treffen sehr unterschiedliche Akteure mit höchst unterschiedlichen Konzepten und Arbeitsweisen aufeinander. Weitere Anforderungen erwachsen aus dem Datenschutz und aus verschiedenen Aspekten von Vertraulichkeit und Geheimhaltung. Wie kann Evaluation dazu beitragen, einen vertrauensvollen, respektvollen und konstruktiven Umgang zu entwickeln, in dem praxisrelevante Ergebnisse unter den beteiligten Akteuren ausgetauscht, reflektiert und gesichert werden? Und welche Möglichkeiten und Herausforderungen verbinden Kooperationsakteure mit Evaluation? Damit beschäftigt sich der neue PRIF Report aus dem PrEval-Projekt. Auf der Basis von 40 semistrukturellen Interviews gehen die Autor:innen diesen Fragen nach, strukturieren die erfragten Bedarfe und leiten daraus Empfehlungen für die Fachpraxis, die Forschung, sowie Politik und Verwaltung ab.

The establishment of a Weapons of Mass Destruction-Free Zone (WMDFZ) in the Middle East remains an urgent item on the international agenda. But which approach has the best prospects of success? The author presents the positions of the most relevant states in the Middle East in terms of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and then analyses the Joint Comprehen­sive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which has been the only successful attempt to contain WMD in the region to date. He concludes that while the JCPOA is not a blueprint for the establishment of a WMDFZ, it provides many ideas and steps for confidence-building measures that can pave the way for future negotiations.