With the US administration announcing on February 2, 2019 its withdrawal from a major bilateral arms control agreement with Russia, concerns over global, and particularly European security, have become ever more prominent.

On October 10-14, 2018 the International Institute for Peace (IIP) in cooperation with the the Bruno Kreisky Forum, Directorate for Security Policy, Federal Ministry of Defense and Sports, the Institute for Global Studies, Rome-Brussels and the Al Sharq Forum, Istanbul hosted a series of events, public debates and workshops, on the topic “Resilience and escalation” in the MENA region.During the event we had the chance to address some question to the experts present.

Am 13. Dezember lud das Internationale Institut für den Frieden (IIF) zu Vernissage, Lesung und Diskussion über das Thema ‚Peace First – Brauchen wir eine neue Friedensbewegung?` ein. Zu Gast waren Gabriele Matzner, ehemalige Botschafterin Österreichs und Publizistin, Antonio Fian, Schriststeller, Egbert Jahn, Friedensforscher und Hannes Swoboda, Präsident IIF und ehemaliges MEP. Durch den Abend moderierte Trautl Brandstaller, Publizistin; Stephanie Fenkart, Direktorin IIF hieß die Gäste willkommen. 

Am 11. Dezember 2018 fand auf Initiative der ukrainischen Botschaft in Wien hin Gespräch über Augenzeugenberichte aus der Ostukraine im International Institut für den Frieden (IIF) statt. Dazu wurden Igor Kozlovsky und Stalina Chubenko eingeladen, um ihre persönliche Geschichte im Kontext des Konflikts in der Ostukraine zu erzählen und um größeres Bewusstsein für die Lage dort zu schaffen. Moderiert wurde die Veranstaltung von Hannes Swoboda, Präsident des IIF und MEP ret. Olexander Scherba, Botschafter der Ukraine in Österreich, und Stephanie Fenkart, Direktorin IIF, hielten jeweils eine Begrüßungsrede.

The region’s security environment has been relatively stable lately. Can this stability in the South Caucasus be guaranteed in long-term? Does it mean that conflict resolution efforts by local and international actors have been moving forward? How does the recent Armenian Velvet Revolution play into this picture?

With a heavy heart we have to announce that our long lasting Chairman of the Advisory Board of the IIP, Prof. Dr. Norman Birnbaum, passed away on January 4th 2019. He has been chairing the Advisory Board of the IIP for more than three decades until 2016, wrote numerous books and articles and has dedicated his academic life towards the possibilities of a just society in the context of political and transatlantic challenges and developments.

Our condolences go to his family and friends. His work will not be forgotten and we are thankful for his very appreciated input to the IIP and his sense for an inclusive approach towards global challenges.