Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik

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

Three politicians shake hands — © picture alliance / ZUMAPRESS.com | Alexander Kazakov

Multipolarities – The World-Order Visions of Others

SWP Research Paper 2026/RP 08, 20.04.2026, 47 Pages

doi:10.18449/2026RP08

Three EU flags and one Ukraine flag in the background — © picture alliance / Eibner-Pressefoto | Eibner-Pressefoto/Ardan Fuessman

EU Enlargement: Ukraine as a Special Case – the Western Balkans as the Norm

Anchoring Kyiv in the EU through a New Type of Accession Association

SWP Comment 2026/C 17, 20.04.2026, 8 Pages

doi:10.18449/2026C17

A cargo ship with containers in front of a city skyline — © picture alliance / CFOTO | CFOTO

Hanns Günther Hilpert
Sascha Lohmann (eds.)

The Return of Power Politics to the Market: Theory and Practice of the Geoeconomic Zeitenwende

SWP Research Paper 2026/RP 07, 15.04.2026, 109 Pages

doi:10.18449/2026RP07

Ein Eisbrecher, umgeben von großen Eisschollen — © picture alliance / dpa | Mario Hoppmann

Helge Adrians
Michael Däumer
Tobias Etzold
Michael Paul

Germany as Arctic Security Actor

New Guidelines for German Arctic Policy under More Difficult Conditions

SWP Research Paper 2026/RP 06, 14.04.2026, 29 Pages

doi:10.18449/2026RP06

Die Flaggen der EU, der Ukraine und der NATO während des Treffens der EU-Verteidigungsminister 2025 — © picture alliance / NurPhoto | Aleksander Kalka

Kai-Olaf Lang
Céline Marangé
Susan Stewart

Indispensable: Why Ukraine is becoming a fundamental part of the future European security architecture

Nearly four years after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the majority of European states see Ukraine inside and Russia outside the European security order. Susan Stewart, Céline Marangé and Kai-Olaf Lang explain why such an order is emerging and what might prevent it.

SWP Podcast 2025/eP 04, 18.11.2025

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

Nicolai von Ondarza

A matter of core state power: The intergovernmental sphere of EU defence policy-making

in: Who calls the shots? Institutional and political dynamics in European defence, Göran von Sydow & Valentin Kreilinger (eds), Swedish Institute for European Policy Studies, Report No. 1op, April 2026, pp. 65
- Holly Jean Buck
- Alaa Al Khourdajie
- Shinichiro Asayama
- Oliver Geden
Potential futures for the IPCC’s approach to artificial intelligence

in: Communications Earth and Environment 7, 372, April 2026

doi:10.1038/s43247-026-03514-y

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.