Peace & Security Policy

Peace & Security Policy

Geopolitical power struggles and weakened international regimes are confronting the countries of the world with new and complex questions and decisions. In particular, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022 marked a critical juncture in European security and brought the need for strong, unified action to the fore.

Promoting solidarity and facilitating understanding between states and societies are of paramount importance to the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung’s work on peace and security. We are dedicated to fostering dialogue, diplomacy, and development to ensure security and stability in global contexts of crises and conflict. FES UK’s annual Security Dialogue brings together British and German politicians and other experts to facilitate progressive collaboration between the two countries and discussions around topics such as defence and security cooperation, the European security architecture, the contribution to peace and stability in the Middle East, and, more recently, the threat of Russia.

Peace policy also involves fighting global injustices, as peace cannot be made until the salient global injustices between and within states are eliminated. In this regard, FES works towards greater gender equality and liberation - both locally and globally - and pursues a clear transformative approach to feminist foreign policy that confronts existing patriarchal power structures and condemns all forms of discrimination.

Established in Vienna in 2016, the FES Regional Office for Cooperation and Peace in Europe (FES ROCPE) addresses profound modern-day challenges to European security and acts as a platform for dialogue on how to best equip European peace and security architecture for future challenges. FES ROCPE and FES UK collaborate on establishing united approaches to security and peace based on the values of social democracy.

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From Hybrid Peace to Human Security

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Regional Office for International Cooperation & Peace

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| Foreign & Security Policy | Event

As in previous years the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung London (FES) and the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) collaborated again on the annual…


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Sunday, 20.10.2024 | Foreign & Security Policy | Event

This paper identifies several security risks that would need to be considered by European policymakers ahead of the election on 5th November 2024,…


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Wednesday, 13.03.2024 | Foreign & Security Policy | Event

The Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung London (FES) and the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) collaborated again on the annual dialogue on Security and…


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Middle Power moves: Foreign policy lessons for the United Kingdom and Germany

Is this the middle power moment? A new paper by the New Diplomacy Project and Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung explores how middle powers have sought to deal with past crises, and suggests ways ahead for the UK and Germany.

International relations in 2025 have taken a sharp turn away from multilateral cooperation within the framework of a rules-based international system. Instead, bilateral deal-making, transactionalism, and power politics have returned to the fore, with the United States of America (USA) under President Donald Trump leading this shift. Norms and principles which have guided international cooperation since the end of the Second World War are being challenged or altogether discarded, and the institutions responsible for resolving conflicts and delivering vital humanitarian assistance are under severe strain. Meanwhile, potentially existential transformations from climate change to the rise of new technologies require global coordination and attention. In a world which is increasingly fragmenting, can likeminded middle powers such as the UK and Germany find a way to advance their interests and priorities, while also bolstering the weakened international system? This paper explores examples of middle power agency (within Europe and beyond), and suggests ways in which the UK and Germany can work together with other middle powers to navigate the uncertain present.

 

“By embracing the lessons outlined in this paper, the UK and Germany will have an opportunity to play a key role in a global silent majority which, together, can begin the work of refashioning an international order in which states can pursue their interests peacefully in partnership with others.”

-- Phil Brickell MP, Secretary, All-Party Parliamentary Group on Germany, Houses of Parliament and Sebastian Roloff MdB, Chair, UK-German Friendship Group, Bundestag

Horton, Ben ; Pula, Reg

Middle power moves

foreign policy lessons for the United Kingdom and Germany

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