CSS News and Impact

Strategic Trends, the annual flagship publication of the Center for Security Studies (CSS) at ETH Zurich, examines in 2025 the pivotal forces and developments shaping global security, offering critical analysis of the challenges and opportunities in a world undergoing profound transformation.

Sport has reemerged as a tool for autocratic states to strengthen their legitimacy domestically and internationally. Qatar and Saudi Arabia, in particular, have invested heavily in sport and positioned state-linked figures in international sport organizations. Fabio Schmocker concludes in this CSS Analysis that while this strategy has increased the Gulf states’ global visibility, it has also drawn more attention to human rights issues.

A deepening rift in transatlantic relations has reignited debates on how to strengthen nuclear deterrence in Europe in the absence of credible US security guarantees. No exact alternatives exist or would even be desirable. In her CSS analysis, Névine Schepers argues that opportunities for enhanced strategic dialogue and cooperation with willing European allies could instead provide some reassurance and may shape further changes in doctrine and force posture in the long-term.

In a new edition of the CSS Policy Perspectives, Fabian Hofmann describes the ethical challenges associated with digital peacebuilding. He argues that Switzerland can take a leading role in establishing ethical standards for AI in peace and conflict resolution.

The MAS ETH Mediation in Peace Processes (MAS ETH MPP) program has introduced a series of multimedia tools designed to help mediators worldwide refine their skills and make peace processes more effective.

In this newly published book, negotiators and scholars join forces to identify how ceasefires and political negotiations intersect and when and how ceasefires work to promote peace. Case studies cover conflicts in Bosnia, Burundi, Colombia, Darfur, El Salvador, Myanmar, the Philippines, Sudan North/South, and Syria.

Switzerland has been actively involved in military peace support in the Western Balkans since the 1990s. It has gradually taken on more responsibility and is now respected, both locally and internationally, as a security producer. Despite the improved security situation, geopolitics and poor governance make political solutions difficult to achieve. A continued presence remains in Switzerland’s interests.

Europe faces geopolitical challenges and economic difficulties. Drawing inspiration from three influential reports, the EU has put science, technology, and innovation (STI) at the forefront of its plans to drive growth and advance strategic autonomy. This promises significant changes to the continent’s STI sector.

Join experts Ellie Geranmayeh and Michael Singh for an ETH CSS Evening Talk on February 24 on the evolving dynamics in the Middle East, fifteen months after the outbreak of conflict. They will explore the prospects for peace, U.S. policy shifts, and the ongoing tensions between Israel and Iran.

Distinguishing between electronic and cyber operations is crucial for understanding threats to space systems. This Policy Perspective lays out the differences and suggests policy responses to mitigate these threats.