Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik

A big ship in open waters — © picture alliance / TT NEWS AGENCY | Johan Nilsson / TT

Julian Pawlak

Measures Against the “Russian Shadow Fleet”

Only a Systematic Approach Can Ensure Effectiveness and Security

SWP Comment 2026/C 20, 19.05.2026, 8 Pages

doi:10.18449/2026C20

Soldiers on a armored truck — © picture alliance/AP Photo | Uncredited

The Destabilising Role of the United Arab Emirates in African Conflicts

SWP Comment 2026/C 19, 13.05.2026, 8 Pages

doi:10.18449/2026C19

A large screen with "signing ceremony" — © picture alliance / Hans Lucas | Martin Bertrand

Juliana Süß

Resilience as a Response to Russian Threats in Space

Policy Options for Germany and Europe

SWP Comment 2026/C 18, 11.05.2026, 4 Pages

doi:10.18449/2026C18

Turkish President Erdoğan and Iraqi Prime Minister al-Sudani — © picture alliance / REUTERS | Thaier Al-Sudani

Hürcan Aslı Aksoy

Turkey Capitalises on Hormuz Disruption: Connectivity as a Foreign Policy Strategy

The conflict over the Strait of Hormuz is altering trade and energy routes between Europe and Asia. Turkey is positioning itself as a key transit hub between East and West – a move that presents opportunities but also entails some risks, says Hürcan Aslı Aksoy.

Point of View, 05.05.2026

A red carpet leads through a large room — © picture alliance / photothek | Felix Zahn

The new E6 format: The EU between unity and fragmentation

In the face of mounting geopolitical pressure, the EU is seeking to regain its capacity to act by bringing together its six largest economies. Can the E6 group genuinely generate political traction within the Union without jeopardising the balance between European unity and operational effectiveness? In…

360 degrees, 24.04.2026

Photograph showing Russia's President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, at the opening of an exhibition in Moscow. Oct. 2025 — © picture alliance / ZUMAPRESS.com | Donat Sorokin

Eric J. Ballbach

Overlooked and underestimated: How North Korea has become a security threat to Europe

North Korea should no longer be dismissed as a reclusive authoritarian regime in the Indo-Pacific. Through cyberattacks, arms supplies and military support for Russia’s war against Ukraine, Pyongyang has become a direct security threat to Europe, argues Eric Ballbach.

SWP Podcast 2026/eP 01, 26.05.2026

Go to SWP Podcasts

In Focus

War in the Middle East

On 7 October 2023, Hamas and other groups launched a large-scale attack on Israel, marking a new phase in the conflict in the Middle East. The war spread across the region, Gaza was devastated. A ceasefire was announced in October 2025, but the latest escalation between Iran, Israel and the US has increased the likelihood of the conflict spreading further. What interests and options do the various parties have, and what approaches are there for sustainable conflict management?

Further publications

- Miranda Böttcher
- Lina Röschel
- Neil Craik
- Barbara Neumann
Marine carbon dioxide removal: an emerging topic for ocean governance and the sustainability agenda

in: Barbara Neumann, Daniela Diz, Ben Boteler (eds.), The Elgar Companion to Ocean Governance and the Sustainable Development Goals, pp. 379–402, 12.05.2026

doi:10.4337/9781803923574.00031
- Tatjana Zurbriggen
- Nicoletta Brazzola
- Adrian Odenweller
- Falko Ueckerdt
- Joeri Rogelj
Short-term action is key for gigaton-scale Direct Air Capture by 2050

in: Nature Communications, 17, May 2026

doi:10.1038/s41467-026-72691-3

Dossiers

Windkraftanlagen am Braunkohletagebau Garzweiler. Im Hintergrund: das Kraftwerk Neurath, Nordrhein-Westfalen. — © picture alliance / imageBROKER | Stefan Ziese

Climate Policy and Politics

Climate change is considered by many states and non-state actors to be one of the most important global challenges of the 21st century. Greenhouse gas emissions must be drastically reduced, while adaptation measures are essential to limit the consequences, and affected regions must deal with loss and damage.

A police officer from a special unit inspects a site after an airstrike by Russian forces in Lysychansk, Luhansk region, Ukraine. — © picture alliance / ASSOCIATED PRESS | Leo Correa

Russia's war against Ukraine and its consequences

Since February 24, 2022, Russia has been waging a war of aggression against Ukraine - with repercussions on a global scale. A dossier bundles SWP publications and media contributions on the war and its consequences.

Cybersecurity keyboard — © Moffett Towers

Cybersecurity and Digital Policy: The Role of the Digital in International Politics

Digital Foreign Policy, Cyber-Security, International Law & Human Rights, Regional Perspectives. The dossier seeks to offer orientation in this complex field and offers compilations of relevant publications by SWP authors in the respective fields.

Worldmap with needles — © pogonici/Shutterstock.com

Forced Displacement and Migration

The dossier introduces the topics of International Migration Trends; Forced Displacement, Migration and Development; International Cooperation; European Migration and Refugee Policy; and National Migration and Refugee Policy, and pools publications by SWP authors.

Straßburg, 25.04.2024: Ein großes Plakat an der Außenseite des EU-Parlaments in Straßburg weist auf die anstehenden EU-Wahlen hin. — © picture alliance / Panama Pictures | Dwi Anoraganingrum

European elections 2024 and the EU's next strategic agenda

From 6 to 9 June 2024, the citizens of the European Union will elect a new parliament. This dossier looks at how this will affect EU institutions, their political priorities and the European party landscape.

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Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik

The German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP) advises the German Bundestag and the German government as well as international organisations on questions concerning foreign and security policy.