News

On the occasion of the Munich Security Conference (MSC), the Bavarian Scientific Alliance for Peace, Conflict and Security Research (FoKS) held its annual Fellow Assembly on 12–13 February 2026.

Several members of the UBT Peace and Conflict Research Network – Prof. Dr. Jana Hönke, Prof. Dr. Joschka Philipps, PD Dr. Julia Eichenberg and Dr. Jan Sändig – participated as fellows. The University of Bayreuth was also prominently represented by President Prof. Dr. Stefan Leible.

The Assembly addressed current shifts in security and defense policy – particularly those resulting from Russia’s war against Ukraine and the US’ retreat from multilateral institutions – and discussed how to provide effective policy advice in this changing context. New research initiatives within the FoKS clusters were also launched.

A special highlight was the FoKS side event, held for the first time at the Amerikahaus as an official MSC venue. The panel discussion “Defuse it or lose it: How to defuse interdependence without blowing up the liberal world order”, featuring among others Prof. Abraham L. Newman (Georgetown University), was moderated by Jana Hönke (Chair for Sociology of Africa, University of Bayreuth).