Ingo Henneberg | Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg (original) (raw)
Papers by Ingo Henneberg
South African Journal of International Affairs
Social Science Research Network, Mar 15, 2015
The narrative of an aggressive and neo-imperialist Russia that has dominated analyses of the 2014... more The narrative of an aggressive and neo-imperialist Russia that has dominated analyses of the 2014 Ukrainian crisis lacks theoretical rigour. We argue that a sustainable transformation of the Ukrainian crisis requires an accurate analysis of the context of the conflict, which should include an understanding of Moscow’s perception of the threats to its interests. This policy brief develops a theoretical understanding of the Ukrainian crisis through the lens of Stephen M. Walt’s balance of threat theory. We conclude that a realist analysis will help to explain Russian actions.
Africa Spectrum, 2020
In January 2020, Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Somalia proposed to form a new regional bloc, occasionall... more In January 2020, Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Somalia proposed to form a new regional bloc, occasionally referred to as the Horn of Africa Cooperation (HoAC). This article assesses which factors have contributed to making this proposal and contemplates potential effects for the complex security challenges, political tensions among the neighbours, and existing institutional environment in the region. Drawing on the scholarship on comparative regionalism and overlapping regionalism, we show that a genuine interest to independently address security challenges in the Horn of Africa, as well as domestic concerns, are core motivations for the leaders in all three states. However, the HoAC proposal bears the risk of further alienating partners in the region and undermning security efforts of other regional organisations, most importantly the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, the African Union, and the Eastern Africa Standby Force. Thus, the promises and pitfalls of this new bloc could ...
International Studies Review, 2019
Regional conflicts increasingly require multilevel efforts by regional, subregional, and internat... more Regional conflicts increasingly require multilevel efforts by regional, subregional, and international actors. When states are confronted with a cooperation problem, often there are several institutions available to address this issue. Drawing on the literature of overlapping regionalism and forum-shopping, we argue that existing explanatory models benefit from adding power-based explanations. By conceptualizing an issue-specific dimension and factors specific to the national environment as additional power-based criteria for forum-shopping, we expand the existing literature. Applying our framework to the response to the Boko Haram uprising, our study examines why Nigeria preferred specific regional entities to others. We find that Nigerian resistance toward external intervention and hegemonic interests inherent in national elites as power-based aspects of forum-shopping explain the counterintuitive creation of the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) under the umbrella of the rat...
Politische Vierteljahresschrift, 2018
senschaft eine standortübergreifende Ringvorlesung zum sogenannten Islamischen Staat (IS) ab, in ... more senschaft eine standortübergreifende Ringvorlesung zum sogenannten Islamischen Staat (IS) ab, in der die gebündelte Expertise verschiedener Universitätsstandorte und Forschungseinrichtungen Studierenden zugängig gemacht wurde. Dieses Projekt wurde 2017 mit einem Ringseminar durch sechs Standorte fortgeführt, das die europäischen Krisen in den Blick nahm. Dieses Ringseminar wurde durch zwei wesentliche Punkte geprägt: (1) eine wöchentliche Live-Interaktion von mehr als 150 Studierenden und (2) eine E-Learning-Plattform für wöchentliche Vortragsaufzeichnungen von ForscherInnen aus dem In-und Ausland, studentische Beiträge wie Videos, Einstiegspapiere, Dossiers, aber auch Literatur und spezifische Tests.
Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Politics, 2017
The interplay between states and international organizations has received a lot of scholarly atte... more The interplay between states and international organizations has received a lot of scholarly attention, largely because the number of international organizations has increased considerably within the last century. State-of-the-art scholarship on the foreign policies of international organizations and states is presented here, as are rationalist and constructivist accounts of how the foreign policies of states impact international organizations (bottom-up perspective), as well as how, in turn, international organizations impact member-state foreign policies (top-down perspective). Thereby, the polity, politics, and policy dimensions of both states and international organizations are examined in order to explain the changes states’ foreign policies can induce, under what scope conditions, in the international organizations’ structure (polity), procedures (politics), and policy outcomes. Vice versa, also explained are the changes international organizations can induce, under what scope...
Zeitschrift für Friedens- und Konfliktforschung, 2016
Will man aktuelle Themen in die Lehre der Friedens- und Konfliktforschung integrieren, so gilt es... more Will man aktuelle Themen in die Lehre der Friedens- und Konfliktforschung integrieren, so gilt es, mit den knappen vorhandenen personellen und monetären Ressourcen klug umzugehen. Daher führten im Sommersemester 2016 neun Universitäten erstmals eine gemeinsame, standortübergreifende Ringvorlesung zum sogenannten »Islamischen Staat« durch. Per Videokonferenz wurden ExpertInnen-Vorträge, die an einem Hochschulstandort gehalten wurden, an die anderen digital übertragen. Die Thesen der Vortragenden wurden von allen Studierenden gemeinsam diskutiert. Durch dieses Modell konnte in kurzer Zeit das Thema »Islamischer Staat« aus verschiedenen Perspektiven beleuchtet werden. Die Studierenden und die lokalen VeranstalterInnen bewerteten die DozentInnen-orientierte, videogestützte Veranstaltungsform positiv. Sie lobten die Perspektivenvielfalt und die Einsicht in Forschungsperspektiven anderer Standorte. Kritisch wurden die eingeschränkten Diskussionsmöglichkeiten und der wenig diskursive Charakter der Lehrveranstaltung bewertet. In dem Beitrag skizzieren wir das Lehrexperiment und leiten Vorschläge für potenzielle Folgeveranstaltungen ab.
South African Journal of International Affairs, 2020
ABSTRACT Many international crises require multi-level efforts by regional, sub-regional and inte... more ABSTRACT Many international crises require multi-level efforts by regional, sub-regional and international actors since they often pose cross-border risks to peace and security. Efforts made by multiple actors increasingly need to be coordinated. Consequently, international actors have created informal ad hoc institutions between each other. One frequently used but largely underexplored type of multi-actor coordination mechanism is the international contact group (ICG). Since 1977, as many as 27 ICGs were formed to find common positions and coordinate international engagement in crises. Based on scholarship of multi-actor mediation, inter-organisational relations and informal governance, this article explores the functions of ICGs in international conflict management. It examines the universe of cases, maps their participants, founders, purposes and variations and finds two trends: enlargement and regionalisation. The article then analyses the International Contact Group on the Central African Republic (ICG-CAR) as a typical case to study the specific functions of ICGs in international conflict management.
Erfahrungen aus den Lehrprojekten Terrormiliz IS/Daesh – Verstehen, Einordnen und Bewerten (SoSe ... more Erfahrungen aus den Lehrprojekten Terrormiliz IS/Daesh – Verstehen, Einordnen und Bewerten (SoSe 2016), Gefährdung des Friedens in Europa? (SoSe 2017) und Security-Development-Migration Nexus (SoSe 2018). Dieser Bericht fasst die wesentlichen Erkenntnisse aus drei standortübergreifenden Lehrveranstaltungen zusammen, gibt technische Hinweise und erfahrungsbasierte Ratschläge für Lehrende anderer Hochschulen.
Ergebnisse einer Kurzumfrage unter Studierenden im Fach Politikwissenschaft
Dieses eLearning-Angebot ist das Ergebnis eines standortübergreifenden Ringseminars der Universit... more Dieses eLearning-Angebot ist das Ergebnis eines standortübergreifenden Ringseminars der Universitäten Freiburg, Tübingen, Mainz, Düsseldorf, Hamburg und Marburg im Sommersemester 2017. Im Zentrum stehen zwei zentrale Fragen: - Worin liegt in den derzeitigen (europäischen) Krisen eine Gefährdung für den "Frieden" in Europa? - Wie und durch welche Akteure könnten diese Gefährdungen ausgeräumt werden? Diese Fragen werden in Modulen an acht verschieden Krisen gestellt. Die Studierenden erstellten einführenden Dossiers zu jedem Thema, erstellten Analysen und ein ganze Reihe von multi-medialen Zusatzmaterialien wie Videointerviews, Umfragen und Radiobeiträge. Im Zentrum jedes Thema steht ein per Video aufgezeichneter ExpertenInnenvortrag, unter Mitwirkung verschiedenster renommierter Partnerinstitutionen. Die folgenden Lernmodule wurden an der Universität Freiburg erstellt. Die Modulen wurden von allen Beteiligten nach bestem Wissen und Gewissen erstellt, trotzdem empfehlen wir ...
German Abstract: Die Republik Sudsudan - nach der Abspaltung von der ehemaligen Sudan im Juli 201... more German Abstract: Die Republik Sudsudan - nach der Abspaltung von der ehemaligen Sudan im Juli 2011 der jungste Staat der Welt - sieht sich einer Vielzahl von Konflikten die Zukunft des Landes bedrohen gegenuber. Fur die zukunftige Forschung zum Sudsudan, ist ein grundlegendes Verstandnis des neu gegrundeten Regierungssystem sehr wichtig. Dieser Artikel entwickelt einen ersten wissenschaftlichen Uberblick uber das neue politische System, das durch die Ubergangsverfassung des Sudsudan (2011) geschaffen wurde und analysiert das Verfassungssystem (inkl. der drei Gewalten, checks and balances und den Gesetzgebungsprozess), das sich entwickelnde Parteiensystem sowie die Medienlandschaft, regionale Politik und (soweit moglich) die Burgerbeteiligung. Diese Analyse klassifiziert den neuen Staat in Debatten der Politikwissenschaft und bietet eine vereinfachtes Diagramm fur ein schnelles Verstandnis des neuen Systems.English Abstract: The Republic of South Sudan – after the secession from the ...
The Republic of South Sudan – after the secession from the former Sudan in July 2011 the youngest... more The Republic of South Sudan – after the secession from the former Sudan in July 2011 the youngest state in the world – faces a multitude of conflicts threatening the future of the country as well as the stability of the new political system. The country suffers from a long lasting history of war and internal violent conflicts, which focuses on the conflict management within the state. Even though conflicts include a dynamic function and set the stage for an efficient social and political system, this positive nature of conflicts emerges first and foremost, if they are carried out in a regulated and legalized manner, vested in officially or state controlled institutions in order to prevent them from becoming violent. Generally institutions, processes, proceedings and arenas of discussions are constituted by law, more precisely by the constitution of the state. Furthermore these processes develop a substantial, sufficient as well as non-violent conflict management as a basic principle...
A side by side text comparison of the Interim Constitution of Southern Sudan (2005) and the Trans... more A side by side text comparison of the Interim Constitution of Southern Sudan (2005) and the Transitional Constitution of the Republic of South Sudan (2011)
South African Journal of International Affairs, 2020
Many international crises require multi-level efforts by regional, sub-regional and international... more Many international crises require multi-level efforts by regional, sub-regional and international actors since they often pose cross- border risks to peace and security. Efforts made by multiple actors increasingly need to be coordinated. Consequently, international actors have created informal ad hoc institutions between each other. One frequently used but largely underexplored type of multi-actor coordination mechanism is the international contact group (ICG). Since 1977, as many as 27 ICGs were formed to find common positions and coordinate international engagement in crises. Based on scholarship of multi- actor mediation, inter-organisational relations and informal governance, this article explores the functions of ICGs in international conflict management. It examines the universe of cases, maps their participants, founders, purposes and variations and finds two trends: enlargement and regionalisation. The article then analyses the International Contact Group on the Central African Republic (ICG-CAR) as a typical case to study the specific functions of ICGs in international conflict management.
Africa Spectrum, 2020
In January 2020, Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Somalia proposed to form a new regional bloc, occasionall... more In January 2020, Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Somalia proposed to form a new regional bloc, occasionally referred to as the Horn of Africa Cooperation (HoAC). This article assesses which factors have contributed to making this proposal and contemplates potential effects for the complex security challenges, political tensions among the neighbours, and existing institutional environment in the region. Drawing on the scholarship on comparative regionalism and overlapping regionalism, we show that a genuine interest to independently address security challenges in the Horn of Africa, as well as domestic concerns, are core motivations for the leaders in all three states. However, the HoAC proposal bears the risk of further alienating partners in the region and undermning security efforts of other regional organisations, most importantly the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, the African Union, and the Eastern Africa Standby Force. Thus, the promises and pitfalls of this new bloc could shape the regional architecture and cause new political challenges in the region.
South African Journal of International Affairs
Social Science Research Network, Mar 15, 2015
The narrative of an aggressive and neo-imperialist Russia that has dominated analyses of the 2014... more The narrative of an aggressive and neo-imperialist Russia that has dominated analyses of the 2014 Ukrainian crisis lacks theoretical rigour. We argue that a sustainable transformation of the Ukrainian crisis requires an accurate analysis of the context of the conflict, which should include an understanding of Moscow’s perception of the threats to its interests. This policy brief develops a theoretical understanding of the Ukrainian crisis through the lens of Stephen M. Walt’s balance of threat theory. We conclude that a realist analysis will help to explain Russian actions.
Africa Spectrum, 2020
In January 2020, Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Somalia proposed to form a new regional bloc, occasionall... more In January 2020, Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Somalia proposed to form a new regional bloc, occasionally referred to as the Horn of Africa Cooperation (HoAC). This article assesses which factors have contributed to making this proposal and contemplates potential effects for the complex security challenges, political tensions among the neighbours, and existing institutional environment in the region. Drawing on the scholarship on comparative regionalism and overlapping regionalism, we show that a genuine interest to independently address security challenges in the Horn of Africa, as well as domestic concerns, are core motivations for the leaders in all three states. However, the HoAC proposal bears the risk of further alienating partners in the region and undermning security efforts of other regional organisations, most importantly the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, the African Union, and the Eastern Africa Standby Force. Thus, the promises and pitfalls of this new bloc could ...
International Studies Review, 2019
Regional conflicts increasingly require multilevel efforts by regional, subregional, and internat... more Regional conflicts increasingly require multilevel efforts by regional, subregional, and international actors. When states are confronted with a cooperation problem, often there are several institutions available to address this issue. Drawing on the literature of overlapping regionalism and forum-shopping, we argue that existing explanatory models benefit from adding power-based explanations. By conceptualizing an issue-specific dimension and factors specific to the national environment as additional power-based criteria for forum-shopping, we expand the existing literature. Applying our framework to the response to the Boko Haram uprising, our study examines why Nigeria preferred specific regional entities to others. We find that Nigerian resistance toward external intervention and hegemonic interests inherent in national elites as power-based aspects of forum-shopping explain the counterintuitive creation of the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) under the umbrella of the rat...
Politische Vierteljahresschrift, 2018
senschaft eine standortübergreifende Ringvorlesung zum sogenannten Islamischen Staat (IS) ab, in ... more senschaft eine standortübergreifende Ringvorlesung zum sogenannten Islamischen Staat (IS) ab, in der die gebündelte Expertise verschiedener Universitätsstandorte und Forschungseinrichtungen Studierenden zugängig gemacht wurde. Dieses Projekt wurde 2017 mit einem Ringseminar durch sechs Standorte fortgeführt, das die europäischen Krisen in den Blick nahm. Dieses Ringseminar wurde durch zwei wesentliche Punkte geprägt: (1) eine wöchentliche Live-Interaktion von mehr als 150 Studierenden und (2) eine E-Learning-Plattform für wöchentliche Vortragsaufzeichnungen von ForscherInnen aus dem In-und Ausland, studentische Beiträge wie Videos, Einstiegspapiere, Dossiers, aber auch Literatur und spezifische Tests.
Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Politics, 2017
The interplay between states and international organizations has received a lot of scholarly atte... more The interplay between states and international organizations has received a lot of scholarly attention, largely because the number of international organizations has increased considerably within the last century. State-of-the-art scholarship on the foreign policies of international organizations and states is presented here, as are rationalist and constructivist accounts of how the foreign policies of states impact international organizations (bottom-up perspective), as well as how, in turn, international organizations impact member-state foreign policies (top-down perspective). Thereby, the polity, politics, and policy dimensions of both states and international organizations are examined in order to explain the changes states’ foreign policies can induce, under what scope conditions, in the international organizations’ structure (polity), procedures (politics), and policy outcomes. Vice versa, also explained are the changes international organizations can induce, under what scope...
Zeitschrift für Friedens- und Konfliktforschung, 2016
Will man aktuelle Themen in die Lehre der Friedens- und Konfliktforschung integrieren, so gilt es... more Will man aktuelle Themen in die Lehre der Friedens- und Konfliktforschung integrieren, so gilt es, mit den knappen vorhandenen personellen und monetären Ressourcen klug umzugehen. Daher führten im Sommersemester 2016 neun Universitäten erstmals eine gemeinsame, standortübergreifende Ringvorlesung zum sogenannten »Islamischen Staat« durch. Per Videokonferenz wurden ExpertInnen-Vorträge, die an einem Hochschulstandort gehalten wurden, an die anderen digital übertragen. Die Thesen der Vortragenden wurden von allen Studierenden gemeinsam diskutiert. Durch dieses Modell konnte in kurzer Zeit das Thema »Islamischer Staat« aus verschiedenen Perspektiven beleuchtet werden. Die Studierenden und die lokalen VeranstalterInnen bewerteten die DozentInnen-orientierte, videogestützte Veranstaltungsform positiv. Sie lobten die Perspektivenvielfalt und die Einsicht in Forschungsperspektiven anderer Standorte. Kritisch wurden die eingeschränkten Diskussionsmöglichkeiten und der wenig diskursive Charakter der Lehrveranstaltung bewertet. In dem Beitrag skizzieren wir das Lehrexperiment und leiten Vorschläge für potenzielle Folgeveranstaltungen ab.
South African Journal of International Affairs, 2020
ABSTRACT Many international crises require multi-level efforts by regional, sub-regional and inte... more ABSTRACT Many international crises require multi-level efforts by regional, sub-regional and international actors since they often pose cross-border risks to peace and security. Efforts made by multiple actors increasingly need to be coordinated. Consequently, international actors have created informal ad hoc institutions between each other. One frequently used but largely underexplored type of multi-actor coordination mechanism is the international contact group (ICG). Since 1977, as many as 27 ICGs were formed to find common positions and coordinate international engagement in crises. Based on scholarship of multi-actor mediation, inter-organisational relations and informal governance, this article explores the functions of ICGs in international conflict management. It examines the universe of cases, maps their participants, founders, purposes and variations and finds two trends: enlargement and regionalisation. The article then analyses the International Contact Group on the Central African Republic (ICG-CAR) as a typical case to study the specific functions of ICGs in international conflict management.
Erfahrungen aus den Lehrprojekten Terrormiliz IS/Daesh – Verstehen, Einordnen und Bewerten (SoSe ... more Erfahrungen aus den Lehrprojekten Terrormiliz IS/Daesh – Verstehen, Einordnen und Bewerten (SoSe 2016), Gefährdung des Friedens in Europa? (SoSe 2017) und Security-Development-Migration Nexus (SoSe 2018). Dieser Bericht fasst die wesentlichen Erkenntnisse aus drei standortübergreifenden Lehrveranstaltungen zusammen, gibt technische Hinweise und erfahrungsbasierte Ratschläge für Lehrende anderer Hochschulen.
Ergebnisse einer Kurzumfrage unter Studierenden im Fach Politikwissenschaft
Dieses eLearning-Angebot ist das Ergebnis eines standortübergreifenden Ringseminars der Universit... more Dieses eLearning-Angebot ist das Ergebnis eines standortübergreifenden Ringseminars der Universitäten Freiburg, Tübingen, Mainz, Düsseldorf, Hamburg und Marburg im Sommersemester 2017. Im Zentrum stehen zwei zentrale Fragen: - Worin liegt in den derzeitigen (europäischen) Krisen eine Gefährdung für den "Frieden" in Europa? - Wie und durch welche Akteure könnten diese Gefährdungen ausgeräumt werden? Diese Fragen werden in Modulen an acht verschieden Krisen gestellt. Die Studierenden erstellten einführenden Dossiers zu jedem Thema, erstellten Analysen und ein ganze Reihe von multi-medialen Zusatzmaterialien wie Videointerviews, Umfragen und Radiobeiträge. Im Zentrum jedes Thema steht ein per Video aufgezeichneter ExpertenInnenvortrag, unter Mitwirkung verschiedenster renommierter Partnerinstitutionen. Die folgenden Lernmodule wurden an der Universität Freiburg erstellt. Die Modulen wurden von allen Beteiligten nach bestem Wissen und Gewissen erstellt, trotzdem empfehlen wir ...
German Abstract: Die Republik Sudsudan - nach der Abspaltung von der ehemaligen Sudan im Juli 201... more German Abstract: Die Republik Sudsudan - nach der Abspaltung von der ehemaligen Sudan im Juli 2011 der jungste Staat der Welt - sieht sich einer Vielzahl von Konflikten die Zukunft des Landes bedrohen gegenuber. Fur die zukunftige Forschung zum Sudsudan, ist ein grundlegendes Verstandnis des neu gegrundeten Regierungssystem sehr wichtig. Dieser Artikel entwickelt einen ersten wissenschaftlichen Uberblick uber das neue politische System, das durch die Ubergangsverfassung des Sudsudan (2011) geschaffen wurde und analysiert das Verfassungssystem (inkl. der drei Gewalten, checks and balances und den Gesetzgebungsprozess), das sich entwickelnde Parteiensystem sowie die Medienlandschaft, regionale Politik und (soweit moglich) die Burgerbeteiligung. Diese Analyse klassifiziert den neuen Staat in Debatten der Politikwissenschaft und bietet eine vereinfachtes Diagramm fur ein schnelles Verstandnis des neuen Systems.English Abstract: The Republic of South Sudan – after the secession from the ...
The Republic of South Sudan – after the secession from the former Sudan in July 2011 the youngest... more The Republic of South Sudan – after the secession from the former Sudan in July 2011 the youngest state in the world – faces a multitude of conflicts threatening the future of the country as well as the stability of the new political system. The country suffers from a long lasting history of war and internal violent conflicts, which focuses on the conflict management within the state. Even though conflicts include a dynamic function and set the stage for an efficient social and political system, this positive nature of conflicts emerges first and foremost, if they are carried out in a regulated and legalized manner, vested in officially or state controlled institutions in order to prevent them from becoming violent. Generally institutions, processes, proceedings and arenas of discussions are constituted by law, more precisely by the constitution of the state. Furthermore these processes develop a substantial, sufficient as well as non-violent conflict management as a basic principle...
A side by side text comparison of the Interim Constitution of Southern Sudan (2005) and the Trans... more A side by side text comparison of the Interim Constitution of Southern Sudan (2005) and the Transitional Constitution of the Republic of South Sudan (2011)
South African Journal of International Affairs, 2020
Many international crises require multi-level efforts by regional, sub-regional and international... more Many international crises require multi-level efforts by regional, sub-regional and international actors since they often pose cross- border risks to peace and security. Efforts made by multiple actors increasingly need to be coordinated. Consequently, international actors have created informal ad hoc institutions between each other. One frequently used but largely underexplored type of multi-actor coordination mechanism is the international contact group (ICG). Since 1977, as many as 27 ICGs were formed to find common positions and coordinate international engagement in crises. Based on scholarship of multi- actor mediation, inter-organisational relations and informal governance, this article explores the functions of ICGs in international conflict management. It examines the universe of cases, maps their participants, founders, purposes and variations and finds two trends: enlargement and regionalisation. The article then analyses the International Contact Group on the Central African Republic (ICG-CAR) as a typical case to study the specific functions of ICGs in international conflict management.
Africa Spectrum, 2020
In January 2020, Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Somalia proposed to form a new regional bloc, occasionall... more In January 2020, Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Somalia proposed to form a new regional bloc, occasionally referred to as the Horn of Africa Cooperation (HoAC). This article assesses which factors have contributed to making this proposal and contemplates potential effects for the complex security challenges, political tensions among the neighbours, and existing institutional environment in the region. Drawing on the scholarship on comparative regionalism and overlapping regionalism, we show that a genuine interest to independently address security challenges in the Horn of Africa, as well as domestic concerns, are core motivations for the leaders in all three states. However, the HoAC proposal bears the risk of further alienating partners in the region and undermning security efforts of other regional organisations, most importantly the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, the African Union, and the Eastern Africa Standby Force. Thus, the promises and pitfalls of this new bloc could shape the regional architecture and cause new political challenges in the region.
This volume introduces to the structured conflict analysis as a tool of social science research a... more This volume introduces to the structured conflict analysis as a tool of social science research and uses this instrument exemplarily to analyze systematically and on a broad basis the various conflicts that are associated with Iran both domestically and in foreign policy – beyond popular stereotypes such as the "bomb". The 13 contributions draw a complex picture of the conflicts with and in Iran and reflect the various aspects of these conflicts from different perspectives and at a high methodological and theoretical level. The nuclear program is examined, inter alia through the eyes of four major theories of International Relations. In addition, the analyses are concerned with the regional security dimension, the relationship USA–Iran, the role of national preferences, and the effect of national processes to the Iranian foreign policy.