📣 Trump’s “Board of Peace” (BoP) represents another escalation – but does it mean the end of multilateral cooperation in the peace and security domain?
💡Serena Bernstein and Ilai Yaron Levy argue that ad-hoc organizations like the BoP will still depend on established institutions.
Now on #PRIFblog ⬇️
https://blog.prif.org/2026/03/23/instrumentalization-not-termination
Instrumentalization, not Termination – What Trump’s Board of Peace actually Tells us about the Decline of Multilateralism - PRIF BLOG
This article argues that the Board of Peace reveals a persistent pattern: ad hoc organizations like the BoP must the co-opt funding, legitimacy, and organization capacity of other institutions to succeed. Rather than disappearing, multilateral organizations may be instrumentalized, subordinating them to the will of nation states.
After allegations that Ethiopia has been supporting RSF, the Sudanese Armed Forces, RSF, and allies have mobilized forces in Sudan's Blue Nile state. In a new post on
#PRIFblog, Jalale Getachew Birru shows how in Blue Nile the country’s civil war intersects with wider regional power competition.
https://blog.prif.org/2026/03/24/blue-nile-state-how-gulf-rivalries-are-redrawing-sudans-war-map/#Sudan #geopolitics📣Now also in English: Sascha Hach’s analysis of negotiations in Russia's war against Ukraine. What have the diplomatic efforts of the past four years achieved? And: Which role should Europe play in the negotiations?
💡Lean more on #PRIFblog: https://blog.prif.org/2026/03/20/negotiations-in-the-ukraine-war-europe-on-the-menu/
Negotiations in the Ukraine War – Europe on the Menu - PRIF BLOG
Europe would emerge from the war as the strategic loser. Not because of Putin or Trump's ruthlessness, but because it refused to stand up for its own interests against its opponent and defend them in negotiations.
Many in
#Israel have framed the war with
#Iran as the “last war”. However, without Palestinian statehood, long-term stability in the Middle East will not be possible, argues Ilai Levy.
#Germany should use its diplomatic ties to move Israel toward a process of confidence-building. Now on
#PRIFbloghttps://blog.prif.org/2026/03/19/a-seat-at-the-table-germanys-role-in-the-war-between-the-us-israel-and-iran/#Palestine #USA #MiddleEast
A Seat at the Table: Germany's Role in the War Between the US, Israel and Iran - PRIF BLOG
Since the US and Israel launched their military campaign against Iran, many in Israel have framed the conflict as the "last war". Yet military action alone cannot secure long-term stability. Germany occupies a unique position in the context of European diplomacy, maintaining strong ties with both Washington and Jerusalem. Germany should be using its rapport with both administrations to persuade Israel to commit to a comprehensive process of confidence-building measures with both the Palestinians and its neighbors in the region—measures that will ultimately lead to Palestinian statehood. Without such efforts, the region will drift from one escalation to the next. This makes Germany's proactive diplomacy not only worthwhile, but necessary.
📣 New #PRIFblog: Affected by increasing extremist violence, Benin's government has increased its military presence at its northern borders. Kamal Donko and Simone Schnabel argue: this security focus creates new grievances and vulnerabilities among the local populations living in affected areas.
➡️ Find out more:
https://blog.prif.org/2026/03/18/securitizing-borders-and-local-conflict-dynamics-insights-from-benin/
Securitizing Borders and Local Conflict Dynamics – Insights from Benin - PRIF BLOG
In past years, the Benin government has significantly increased its military presence in Northern regions and has set up various national initiatives to securitize its borders with Burkina Faso, Niger, and Nigeria.
🔦 Neues PRIF Spotlight: Seit vier Jahren wird in Russlands Krieg gegen die Ukraine nicht nur gekämpft, sondern auch verhandelt.
❓ Was haben die diplomatischen Bemühungen gebracht? Und: Welche Rolle sollte Europa in den Verhandlungen einnehmen?
💡Zum gesamten Text von Sascha Hach auf dem #PRIFblog ⬇️ https://blog.prif.org/2026/03/17/verhandlungen-im-ukrainekrieg-europa-auf-der-speisekarte/
#ukraine #diplomacy #europe #trump #putin
Verhandlungen im Ukrainekrieg: Europa auf der Speisekarte - PRIF BLOG
Von Beginn an wird im russischen Angriffskrieg gegen die Ukraine nicht nur gekämpft, sondern auch verhandelt. Europa blieb diplomatisch zurückhaltend. Mit US-Präsident Donald Trump schlüpften die USA in die Rolle des Power Mediators. Die Europäer versäumten es in dieser entscheidenden Wende, einen kohärenten diplomatischen Ansatz zu entwickeln und wirtschaftliche sowie strategische Verhandlungsmasse zu generieren. Deshalb müssen sie am Katzentisch Platz nehmen und dabei zusehen, wie ihre Interessen verspeist werden.
Von Computerchips bis Düngemittel: Weitere Auswirkungen des Iran-Kriegs könnten in Asien wie auch Europa bald spürbar sein. Im
#PRIFblog beleuchten
@ptrckflmm und Lukas Wagner die globalen Verknüpfungen zwischen Petrochemie, Energieströmen und Ernährungssicherheit.
https://blog.prif.org/2026/03/12/jenseits-der-zapfsaeule-wie-der-krieg-am-persischen-golf-eine-energie-und-rohstoffkrise-zugleich-ist/
Jenseits der Zapfsäule: Wie der Krieg am Persischen Golf eine Energie- und Rohstoffkrise zugleich ist - PRIF BLOG
Der US-amerikanisch-israelische Krieg gegen Iran weitet sich mittlerweile zu einem regionalen Krieg aus und die Schließung der Straße von Hormus könnte die größte Ölangebotskrise seit Generationen bedeuten. Die deutsche mediale Debatte kam bisher kaum über einen Fokus auf Preise an deutschen Tankstellen hinaus. Dabei sind die Staaten am Persischen Golf bedeutende Produzenten von wichtigen Ausgangstoffen der chemischen Industrie sowie der Düngemittelherstellung. Entsprechend steht derzeit nicht nur die Weltwirtschaft unter Druck, sondern auch die weltweite Chipherstellung sowie die Ernährungssicherheit in weiten Teilen Asiens auf dem Spiel.
When being seen to govern is as important as governing itself: on
#PRIFblog, Yaolong Xian and Jan Kubandt analyze rebel groups' practices of staging justice in a fragmented border region, targeting locals – and signaling responsibility to China.
https://blog.prif.org/2026/03/09/public-trials-in-myanmars-rebel-lands/
Staging Law & Order: Public Trials and Rebel Legitimacy in Northern Myanmar - PRIF BLOG
The idea of publicly staged trials may appear grotesque or outdated to citizens of modern, functioning states. Yet, for non-state armed actors in contested environments, the power of judicial procedures may lie precisely in their visibility. By staging justice in open spaces and circulating images widely, ethnic armed organizations (EAOs) in northern Myanmar turn punishment into a public performance of order. Such visibility helps construct local legitimacy while signaling responsibility to China, whose leverage over border stability is decisive. In a fragmented frontier, being seen to govern is often as important as governing itself.
Hezbollah has been severely weakened while the war against its main backer, Iran, has worsened its prospects. However, the organization is not yet defeated and still dangerous. Read the analysis by Elisabeta Dinu on
#PRIFblog.
https://blog.prif.org/en/2026/03/06/hezbollah-is-weak-but-not-yet-defeated/
Hezbollah is Weak, but not yet Defeated - PRIF BLOG
Hezbollah has been severely weakened since 2024, having lost its longest-serving Secretary General and numerous founding-generation commanders. Now, faced with escalating war against its main backer Iran and potential disarmament by the Lebanese government, Hezbollah’s prospects are bleak. However, the organization is not defeated and can still cause havoc. Though weak, Hezbollah’s strategy of preventing its adversaries from winning over pursuing its own success means the organization remains dangerous.
Why European leaders should oppose the attacks on
#Iran and affirm the limits on the use of force established by the
#UN Charter: in the latest
#PRIFblog post, Sidney Michelini offers political, strategic, and moral reasons.
https://blog.prif.org/2026/03/03/attacking-iran-isnt-just-illegal-its-illegitimate-and-dangerous/
Attacking Iran Isn't Just Illegal, it's Illegitimate and Dangerous - PRIF BLOG
European leaders should clearly oppose the American and Israeli attacks on Iran. Yet for the most part they have called for more negotiations and condemned Iran. While European leaders may appear to have several good reasons for failing to clearly oppose the attacks – such as recent mass repression carried out by the Iranian government and a desire to avoid antagonizing the Americans – these do not stand up to scrutiny. Supporting, or failing to oppose, an attack on a sovereign state possessing a significant military capability risks further destabilizing the inter-state system as well as causing serious harm to the Iranian population. Instead, European leaders should adhere in both speech and actions to the UN Charter’s prohibition on the use of force.
PRIF