Engage in Dialogue – Stay in Dialogue – Develop Perspectives

The golden age of arms control lies far in the past and support for numerous multilateral agreements is visibly declining. The signs are pointing to confrontation and polarization – and above all to rearmament.

This development is problematic and dangerous. Arms control is not only about disarmament and non-proliferation, but also about many other issues: containing new weapons technologies, confidence building, de-escalation strategies and, last but not least, keeping channels of negotiation and dialogue between conflict parties open and active. Maintaining contact – even during highly confrontational times – not only at the level of foreign ministers, but also at the working level with diplomats and advisors, is essential, even if concrete results and agreements are slow, extremely laborious, or sometimes never achieved.

But it is very interesting to see how decisions are made, what institutional processes are in place, why Germany does certain things in arms control in a certain way that other countries might do differently. What are the chains of responsibility, what is the interaction between the Foreign Office and the Ministry of Defense? How do they coordinate in this area? What expertise is used, who is invited to workshops?

Anna-Katharina Ferl

Consequently, research on arms control and disarmament remains essential and is increasingly relevant in new fields of research. Developments such as artificial intelligence in weapons technology and cybersecurity demand innovative approaches to arms control and disarmament. Arms control policies must keep pace with technological, political, and normative developments and, at the same time, normative and legal frameworks from past negotiation processes can serve as valuable reference points for future negotiations or strategy papers. Political practice requires both expertise and experience, meanwhile academia needs researchers who actively engage with arms control and help advance the field.

It is therefore all the more important to promote the next generation, to create incentives for research and to maintain and develop political expertise. The joint doctoral program between PRIF and the Federal Foreign Office aims to contributes to this goal, with four early-career researchers starting in 2019 following a joint application process.

Start a Conversation, Stay in Conversation

The four PRIF-AA doctoral researchers completed their doctorates in various areas of arms control and all completed at least one internship at the Federal Foreign Office.

It was exciting to see how an Excel spreadsheet is created with very specific instructions that are then passed on. It was, so to speak, the software for Germany’s voting behavior at the UN.

Sascha Hach

Both sides should benefit. The doctoral researchers contributed their expertise and gained insights into the practical implementation of arms control and international cooperation through work shadowing. At the same time, expertise was secured for the future at research institutions, in politics, and in society.

Basic research, developing innovative approaches and perspectives, and evaluating historical knowledge are important contributions of arms control research. Ideally, this research informs political negotiations and strategy development. During their internships, the four doctoral researchers had the opportunity to support and help organize day-to-day political business, negotiations, and contribute to the implementation of political strategies. These experiences provided insights into how political decisions are made and how political procedures and coordination processes work. Did the transfer of knowledge work in both directions?

During her first internship in Berlin, Jana Baldus prepared the content of a conference as part of the Stockholm Initiative. She was faced with an even more challenging task during her second internship. She traveled to New York as an expert and part of the German delegation to the Review Conference of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). There, she participated in the entire conference for a month. The German head of the delegation, who was also the German disarmament ambassador in Geneva, instructed her in diplomatic intricacies. In the delegation café and during meetings, she observed the inner workings of this international conference. For her dissertation, she analyzed NPT documents from 1995 onward. This historical perspective enabled her to offer valuable input to her delegation colleagues, for example, identifying which topics had already been addressed and when.

Anna-Katharina Ferl found the insight into internal negotiation processes, the genesis of German positions, and the aspects that Germany prioritizes in negotiations and how they are implemented particularly exciting. She was a visiting researcher in OR10 (“Conventional Disarmament, Arms Control, and CSBMs Worldwide; Preventive Arms Control”) and was supposed to travel to Geneva with the department for disarmament talks. However, due to the pandemic, the in-person talks were postponed repeatedly and eventually took place digitally. Although she was unable to experience the conference atmosphere firsthand, she contributed to Germany’s preparations and working processes, helping to shape discussions on autonomous weapons systems – her area of expertise.

I have gained tremendous respect for the dedication of diplomats. They work incredible hours. In the last week of the conference, when they are actually working on the final document, they sometimes work on the draft until 3 a.m., and then they have to start again at 6 a.m. to work on the new draft.

Jana Baldus

During her internship, the department organized a conference as part of the “Rethinking Arms Control” series initiated by Heiko Maas. She worked on the organization and conceptual planning of various panels and workshops. Back in Frankfurt, she organized another workshop for the AA aimed at international participants from academia and diplomacy. The topic was brain-computer interfaces, i. e. how to shorten the time between human thinking and computer input. This is relevant for autonomous warfare and better integration of AI in military operations, as the human-computer interface is still the slowest part.

Matthias Schwarz also spent his internship at OR10 and found the experience of policy practice enriching and interesting. His dissertation deals with conventional arms control programs and practices in Kenya and Nigeria. Germany is one of the countries funding most of these programs. Their objectives include, for example, marking military weapons, financing certain software for traceability or equipping police stations to restrict access to stored arms. This represents a highly technical approach to arms control – one that prioritizes control rather than addressing the root causes of violence and armament.

During his stay in Berlin, he was able to observe the dynamics of the project cycle firsthand: how the projects are conceived at the AA, the logic behind them, how they are financed, how they work with the implementing organizations, how they are implemented in Kenya or Nigeria, and finally how they are evaluated and recommendations developed back in Berlin. This cycle often goes on for many years. Collaboration with colleagues in the department worked very well. Even though the actual implementation depends on political processes, he provided advice on how to develop conventional arms control on the basis of his case studies. He was also able to contribute this expertise during his second internship in Geneva at the Permanent Mission of the Federal Republic of Germany to the Conference on Disarmament.

Sascha Hach also played an active role in the internal processes of consultations as well as the interdepartmental coordination. In the run-up to the NPT Review Conference, a number of consultations were held with states with which Germany cooperates on the NPT. He supported the design and follow-up of these bilateral and multilateral consultations. He was also involved in the preparations for the vote in the First Committee of the UN General Assembly. In other words, he investigated how Germany would position itself on the various resolutions being negotiated there, passed on this information and supported communication between the capital and the German UN delegation in New York. Another task during his internship was to contribute to a draft for the continuation of the Stockholm Initiative, in preparation for a high-level meeting in Jordan.

The exchange with the AA colleagues was assessed by all as a very positive, appreciative and enriching experience. There were moments when they wished they had more opportunities to contribute and explore more innovative approaches and perspectives. The political work is often very fragmented, the AA is stuck in its operational mode, dossiers have to be processed and meetings have to be prepared. The workload is enormous.

And now What?

Almost all of the dissertations have been completed, the program is over. The young scholars acquired substantial insight for their research, and the staff of the Federal Foreign Office benefited from the scientific expertise, new ideas and input. The question remains whether the hope of generating young talent for arms control has been fulfilled. The results are certainly impressive: Jana Baldus now works as a consultant for nuclear arms control at a London-based think tank. This puts her at the interface between politics and science. Anna-Katharina Ferl is a postdoctoral fellow at the Center for International Security and Cooperation, a research institute at Stanford University. At the Center, she will focus not only on arms control but also on the integration of AI into military decision-making and its implications for international security.

You gain an understanding of how processes work, which is always useful. You develop a holistic understanding of the material you are dealing with.

Matthias Schwarz

Matthias Schwarz is the regional coordinator for sub-Saharan Africa at the German Academic Exchange Service’s (DAAD) Center of Excellence for International Academic Cooperation. In addition to his regional expertise, he will contribute his knowledge of arms control and dual-use goods, i. e. technologies that can be used for both civilian and military purposes.

Sascha Hach remains at PRIF. He is working on the project “PATTERN: How Does the Past Matter? The Russian War of Aggression against Ukraine and the Cold War” and coordinates the ACONA project on behalf of PRIF in the international consortium, a high-caliber project that brings together mid-career diplomats, military officers, and think tankers from all around the world.

In 2025, two new doctoral students began their dissertations as part of the project. It will be interesting to see what they have to say in four years. (kha)