Krieg und Frieden verstehen: Internationale Politik und Europa im Wandel. Wie sicher ist unsere Gegenwart?

Why do wars break out – and under what conditions can peace be achieved? The lecture by Professor Sophia Hoffmann marks the start of this year’s lecture series. However, the first lecture is not a traditional introduction to the subject, which is covered very broadly throughout the series and examines war and peace from far more than just a political perspective. Rather, it provides a space to engage with developments relating to war. Drawing on key perspectives from political science and history, armed conflicts, periods of peace and current debates will be contextualised, with a particular focus on Germany and Europe. Afterwards, there will be an opportunity for questions, discussion and exchange of views.

The speaker:
Sophia Hoffmann is a political scientist specialising in intelligence studies, international refugee policy, humanitarian aid and development policy. Having conducted extensive field research in Syria, Jordan and Lebanon, she possesses specialist knowledge of international relations in West Asia (the Middle East) and of the relationship between state and society in the region. Prior to her appointment at the University of Erfurt in October 2021, Prof. Hoffmann headed a research group on German-Arab intelligence relations at the Leibniz Centre for Modern Oriental Studies in Berlin, carried out a post-doctoral project at the University of Bremen and was a university lecturer at the Geneva Graduate Institute. She obtained her PhD from the School of Oriental and African Studies (London) and holds further qualifications from the London School of Economics and the University of Sussex. Sophia Hoffmann is also the author of the book *The Crisis before the Storm: Iraqi migrants in Syria* and numerous articles in academic journals. Her research has been funded by the EU’s COFUND programme, the Volkswagen Foundation and the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). 

Admission to the lectures in this lecture series is free. Please note, however, that seating in the Town Hall Ballroom is limited to 180.