ZIB Zeitschrift für Internationale Beziehungen

For much of German politics and political science, the Russian attack on Ukraine on February 24, 2022, came as an unexpected shock. At the same time, the war seemed to confirm core realist messages, such as Russia's stated goal of using force to...

Russia's war of aggression on Ukraine also signifies, as Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced, a 'turning point' in German foreign policy. This article explores the question of whether the shock of the Russian war of aggression has led to a profound...

Russia’s military invasion of Ukraine provides an opportunity for a critical reassessment of the civilian power research paradigm. Specifically, the article lists three points of criticism that are relevant for understanding German foreign policy...

This article offers a new theoretical approach to intelligence studies. Based on the intellectual history of the reason of state, I argue that exceptional national and transnational activities of the intelligence services are enabled by the inner...

The Holy See continuously expanded its diplomatic network in the transformations of international relations since the end of the 19th century. The increase was synchronous with the growth of sovereign states in the process of decolonization....

Russia’s war against Ukraine started with a nuclear threat Putin’s against the West. More explicit threats by the Kremlin followed. The West takes these threats and the general danger of Russian nuclear weapons use serious and warns about...

A little more than 20 years ago, members of the DVPW Section on International Relations founded a mailing list. Since then, generations of researchers and students have subscribed to (and certainly often unsubscribed from) the ib-liste. Inspired by...

Analysing intelligence services remains a niche subject in German political science. The few works that can be found are frequently based on neo-realistic assumptions. However, postmodern approaches like critical intelligence studies offer fresh...

Intelligence studies are a growing field in Germany, and IR scholars are at the forefront of this development. This special issue seeks to contribute to this dynamic trend. The academic literature on intelligence is largely split into two, closely...

This paper proposes to use the theory of practices and fields to analyse signals intelligence as part of International Relations (IB). This perspective requires critical reflexivity, relational thinking, and a close connection between theory and...

This article addresses the growing criticism of Intelligence Studies and International Relations (IR) which, so far, has largely ignored intelligence agencies and cooperation. Therefore, I propose a conceptual reorientation in research on...