To kick off the new semester, the IIR came together for a Research Away Day in Wolfenbüttel. Held at the Bundesakademie für Kulturelle Bildung (Federal Academy for Cultural Education) in Schloss Wolfenbüttel (Wolfenbüttel Castle), the event focused on presenting and discussing current research projects from within the team. Alongside exciting insights into ongoing work, a lively discussion emerged around current political developments and their far-reaching implications for research and teaching. A successful day full of exchange, reflection, and fresh inspiration!
Dear students,
We warmly welcome you to the summer semester of 2025! We are excited to dive into fascinating topics in International Relations with you. This semester, we are offering the following courses, among others:
At the Bachelor's level:
At the Master's level:
We wish you a successful start to the semester and look forward to the learning and research processes that lie ahead.
Your IIR
The workshop "Crises, Contestation, Complexity: International Organizations in the Changing 21st Century" was held in Tutzing from March 19 to 21, 2025. It was organized under the Early Career IB group of the DVPW’s International Relations section (ECIB). As a co-organizer, Lena Herbst chaired insightful panels on international organizations during times of crisis and discussed research projects with the participants.
From March 2–5, 2025, the 66th Annual Convention of the International Studies Association (ISA) took place in Chicago. Under the theme “Reconnecting International Studies,” more than 6,000 participants gathered to present their research and discuss current topics in international relations. Key focus areas included the future of the international liberal order, methodological developments, and the connection between research and teaching.
Lena Herbst presented her paper, "Status in the Net: Transnational Participation in UN Cybersecurity Negotiations," as part of the panel "Technological Change as a Cause and Effect of Intergovernmental Politics."
Ronja Hänschen presented her paper, "International City Networks and Digital Urban Governance: The Role of the Cities Coalition for Digital Rights in Shaping AI Policymaking," as part of the roundtable "Cities as Global Actors in International Politics."
On February 20 and 21, 2025, the online workshop “Artificial Intelligence in Qualitative Research: Understanding and Applying” was held, organized by Susanne Friese for the Dortmunder Methoden-Werkstatt. Over the course of two days, an interdisciplinary group of researchers engaged in discussions about the foundations and ethical considerations of AI use in qualitative research, as well as specific applications for AI tools in qualitative data analysis. Sören Meier participated in the workshop on behalf of the IIR and had the chance to test new AI tools and the methods designed specifically for them in practice, reflecting on their use concerning issues such as data protection, research ethics, and biases.
On January 25 and 26, 2025, students from the elective courses International Organizations and Cyber(in)security?! Challenges for International Peace and Security immersed themselves in the world of international diplomacy. Under the guidance of Bastian Loges and Lena Herbst, they assumed the roles of state diplomats and cybersecurity experts in a UN Security Council simulation, negotiating an international treaty on cybersecurity. This hands-on experience enabled participants to apply their theoretical knowledge, engage with their peers, and gain initial insights into the dynamics of international negotiations and diplomatic processes.
From January 13 to 17, 2025, the Winter School on Social Network Analysis of the ECPR Standing Group on Political Networks (POLNET) took place at the Institut Barcelona d'Estudis Internacionals (IBEI) in Barcelona. During the week-long program, Ronja Hänschen gained in-depth insights into the fundamentals of network theory and the diverse applications of social network analysis in political science. Additionally, she acquired practical skills in using analytical tools such as R, DNA, and Visone, which are employed in the study of political networks.
PD Dr. Tobias Ide has been appointed to the W3 professorship in Peace and Conflict Research at TU Darmstadt (in cooperation with the Leibniz Institute PRIF Frankfurt). He will assume the position in the winter semester 25/26 and will consequently leave the IIR in the summer semester. We extend our heartfelt congratulations to Tobias Ide, are delighted by his success, and wish him all the best for his future endeavors!
Prof. Dr. Anja P. Jakobi and Lena Herbst authored a PRIF Spotlight about the ongoing negotiations regarding the UN Cybercrime Convention. The paper examines the process and content of the draft convention, and gives some policy recommenations regarding its adoption.
Link: blog.prif.org/2024/12/09/between-a-rock-and-a-hard-place-the-un-cybercrime-convention/
PD Dr. Tobias Ide, Associate Professor at Murdoch University in Australia and also a Privatdozent at the Institute for International Relations at TU Braunschweig, has been ranked as the top researcher (1st place) in the field of International Relations and Diplomacy by The Australian magazine.
In November, Prof. Dr. Anja P. Jakobi will be a visiting researcher at the Peace Research Institute Frankfurt (PRIF), an internationally active Leibniz Institute that she is familiar with from her time as a post-doc. She is delighted to return there once again. During her stay, she will work in the "International Institutions" program (led by Prof. Dr. Nicole Deitelhoff) on her ongoing monograph on cities and security.
From September 24 to 27, 2024, the 29th Congress of the German Political Science Association (GPSA) took place at Georg-August-Universität Göttingen under the theme “Politics in Polycrisis.” The Institute for International Relations (IIR) was actively involved in various roles at the largest political science conference in the German-speaking world. In addition to participating in discussions (including with the German Minister of Defense, Boris Pistorius), attending general assemblies, and organizing panels, the IIR presented its latest research.
The URBANORMS team organized the panel “Städte und Politik in Mehrebenensystemen: Von der Lokalpolitik über Urban Diplomacy zu globalen Städtenetzwerken”, chaired by Prof. Dr. Anja P. Jakobi, with Dr. Bastian Loges as discussant. In this session, Ronja Haenschen, M.A., presented her paper “Digitalizing Municipal Governance: International City Networks as Drivers of the Global Diffusion of Digital Urban Governance Initiatives.” Additionally, Anja P. Jakobi and Bastian Loges jointly presented their paper, “Urban Networking and Global Norms: Towards a Better Understanding of International City Networks.”
Furthermore, Prof. Dr. Anja P. Jakobi and Dr. Bastian Loges presented their paper “Stabilising Contested Normative Orders: How International City Networks Prevent Norm Decay” in the panel “Internationale Normforschung (1): Theoretische Kontroversen und methodische Innovationen.”
Lena Herbst, M.A., also contributed actively to the conference with the following presentations: “Sealing or Breaking the Deal? Transnational Actors and the UN Convention on Cybercrime” on the panel “Effektivität internationaler Institutionen in der Polykrise”, “Status as Key: Participation of Transnational Actors in UN Cybersecurity Negotiations” on the panel “Die Innen- und Außenbeziehungen internationaler Organisationen: Delegation, Design, Kooperation und Konfrontation”, and as chair of the panel “Internationale Organisationen in Krisen: Autoritätstransfer, Improvisation und Öffnung.”