SWP in international comparison

Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik (SWP), German Institute for International and Security Affairs is a think tank mandated to provide policy-oriented analysis to the Bundestag and federal government on the full range of international and European affairs. Outside Germany, SWP’s analyses are relevant to those interested in political thinking in Berlin and on the look-out for input from a new perspective. In its near 50-year history, SWP has established an international reputation as a critical outside voice for insiders.

Depth: with over sixty full-time, highly-qualified researchers and budgetary independence, SWP provides constant in-depth analysis even on issues which are not yet high-profile.

Comprehensiveness: bringing together experts on the major world regions with researchers looking at international challenges such as security, climate and energy, SWP has the capacity to take a global and multi-disciplinary approach.

Timeliness: SWP provides strategic analysis and ideas to policymakers. It flags up at an early stage trends and debates, proposing long-term approaches to them.

Independence of thought: the institute provides analysis for all German governments, no matter their political stripe. SWP defines its own research agenda, identifying upcoming challenges and opportunities for international action.

 

Brussels Office: a bridge to Berlin, and back

SWP pursues four goals through its Brussels Office: to give critical input into EU and NATO decision-making processes; to make SWP’s expertise more readily available to the German community in Brussels; to raise awareness in Brussels of German political thinking; to seek an enriching feedback for Berlin.

- we hold regular by-invitation-only debates and briefings
- we host our Berlin-based researchers for periods of 1-3 months
- we disseminate SWP publications amongst EU and NATO officials
- we seek stronger links with other Brussels-based and national think tanks
- we provide a means for interested parties to contact SWP’s analysts in Berlin