Publications

Too many security analyses are state-centric, argue Marc von Boemcken and his colleagues. What should be studied are the everyday security practices of dissimilar communities that abut up against each other. Indeed, that’s what our authors do in this text. They look at lower-level “perceptions of existential threat” in two countries that are almost always analyzed in geo-strategic terms.chevron_right

According to Max Mutschler, today’s military interventions illustrate a clear preference for “liquid warfare.” In other words, rather than try to control territory directly, this exercise in hard power puts a premium on destroying enemy forces and/or infrastructure, much like guerrilla warfare. It also prefers to rely on hit-and-run precision strikes from a distance.chevron_right

What will it take to facilitate the return of South Sudanese who fled their region’s/country’s violence over the years? This brief recommends 1) implementing programs that focus on the long-term self-sufficiency of returnees...chevron_right

This brief explores how the conflict between paramilitary groups who traffic in “high value wildlife” and those trying to protect and conserve the environment has escalated to the point that their struggle is fueling regional instability. In order to overcome this problem, the text’s authors argue...chevron_right

This paper argues that legislative attempts by Europe and the US to deal with the links between mineral extraction and conflict in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) remain inadequate. To ...chevron_right

Dieser Bericht untersucht Fragen der Konversionsforschung, welche die Umwandlung militärischer Infrastruktur zu ziviler Nutzung erkundet. Die Autoren 1) analysieren den Stellenwert von Konversion in E...chevron_right

This policy brief discusses the core challenges still facing the International Arms Trade Treaty, which came into force in December 2014. It also identifies ways that the norms and rules promulgated b...chevron_right

As in previous editions, the 2015 version of BICC’s Global Militarisation Index weighs the relative importance of a country’s ‘military apparatus’ in relation to the rest of society as a whole. The as...chevron_right

This paper presents the results of the the Arms Registration and Marking (ARM) program to mark and register weapons held by tribal communities in West Darfur, Sudan. Among other issues, the report exa...chevron_right

Dieser Beitrag diskutiert vor dem Hintergrund der Veröffentlichung des deutschen Rüstungsexportberichts 2013 Entwicklungen in der deutschen Rüstungsexportpolitik sowie dessen politische Berichterstatt...chevron_right

This paper evaluates the results of a 2011-2014 collaboration between the Bonn International Center for Conversion (BICC) and the South Sudan government to improve the management of state-owned arms a...chevron_right

Will advances in smart technologies both aggravate and limit the effects of small arms and light weapons (SALW)? That was the main discussion point at a 2013 conference sponsored by the German Federal Foreign Office. Today, we present the conference’s findings.chevron_right

This study analyzes trends in the international arms market and the role EU Member States play. It also looks at the effects austerity measures are having on the European defense industry. The author ...chevron_right

Angola’s diamond mines are dominated by a shadowy network of commercial actors, government officials and senior military leaders. Our partners at the BICC trace the evolution of this network, the human rights violations associated with it, and the steps reformers need to take on the mining industry’s behalf.chevron_right

This paper analyzes the relationship between government, oil corporations, and local communities in South Sudan. It also examines the impact of oil investment on local livelihoods and its potential fo...chevron_right