Short News 2025
Call For Paper: SHOW 2025 - Cultures of War and Violence
Datum: 27.-28. November 2025
Ort: Potsdam - ZMSBw (Thursday) und
Universität Potsdam, Campus Am Neuen Palais (Friday)
Deadline:The deadline for paper, panel and roundtable submissions is 30th June 2025
The Society for the History of War invites proposals for a conference on the Cultures of War and Violence. The Conference is organised in collaboration with the University of Potsdam, the Bundeswehr Centre of Military History and Social Sciences (Zentrum für Militärgeschichte und Sozialwissenschaften der Bundeswehr, ZMSBw), and the Working Group Military History (Arbeitskreis Militärgeschichte). It will be held in Potsdam, Germany, close to Berlin, on 27-28 November 2025.
KEYNOTE SPEAKER:PROFESSOR BEATRICE DE GRAAF
Further information can be found here or on the homepage of the Society of the Historiy of War.
Book presentation: „Wie der Westen seine Werte und Interessen verrät“, by Dr. Ali Fathollah-Nejad
On April 29, 2025, the political scientist and expert on Iran, Dr. Ali Fathollah-Nejad, presented his book “Iran – Wie der Westen seine Werte und Interessen verrät (Iran - How the West betrays its values and interests)”. The event was organized with the kind support of the Konrad-Adenauer-Foundation (KAF) Brandenburg and the Chair of Military History and Cultural History of Violence at the University of Potsdam. The event took place on the premises of the University of Potsdam at the Neues Palais.
Dr. Klaus-Jochen Arnold from the KAF opened the event with a welcome and an introduction of the author. Afterwards, Prof. Dr. Sönke Neitzel also gave a few introductory words about the relevance of such events and the relevance of researching the Middle East. Dr. Fathollah-Nejad then spoke for almost 30 minutes about the main points of his book and its relevance for today. This was followed by a panel discussion, which was chaired by Dr. Bastian Matteo Scianna.
The evening concluded with a small reception in the foyer next door, which offered the opportunity to get to know the author or other guests present. The event was attended by almost 60 participants.
Interview with Professor Neitzel and Reinhold Beckmann in the Hamberger Abendblatt
Under the headline “The daily rhetoric of doom scares people - Reinhold Beckmann landed a bestseller with his anti-war book ‘Aenne und ihre Brüder’. The military historian Sönke Neitzel urges people to be prepared for war” is an interview between Professor Neitzel and Reinhold Beckmann, moderated by Matthias Iken, in the Hamburger Abendblatt. The article can be viewed here (in German).
Lecture tour of Christian E. Rieck to Argentina
From March 29 to April 19, 2025, Christian E. Rieck spent three weeks in Buenos Aires, where he gave a total of twelve Spanish-language lectures and talks at partner universities of the University of Potsdam. At the invitation of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, Dr. Rieck spoke first in Montevideo and then in Buenos Aires to journalists, diplomats, politicians, think tankers and professors from CARI, the Argentinian think tank for international relations, on the topics of the turning point in security and defence (Zeitenwende) in Germany and European defence policy. It was not surprising that the view of the war in Ukraine differed greatly from that in Germany.
Find out more here.
The trip was supported by KoUP funds from the university and was a great success. It is particularly pleasing that the partnership initiated here will lead to a return visit in SS25 by the head of the military history research group at the UBA, Prof. Dr. María Inés Tato, who will come to the Chair of Military History with a three-month research grant from the Konrad Adenauer Foundation.
The new West - Do we need to become war-ready?
Deutschlandfunk - Der Tag: Article by Professor Neitzelhere (in German)
For decades, Germany was not exposed to any direct military threat. Military historian Sönke Neitzel explains why these times are over, what this means for us as a society and what the new government should do.
Violence and Democracy | KGParl Annual Lecture on May 9, 2025
On May 9, 2025 at 7 pm, the KGParl invites you to this year's annual lecture. The focus will be on the relationship between violence and democracy - a topic that is just as relevant 80 years after the end of the Second World War as it is today since the start of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine.
The annual lecture will be given by Prof. Dr. Nicole Deitelhoff from the Leibniz Institute for Peace and Conflict Research (PRIF) in Frankfurt am Main. Afterwards, Prof. Dr. Sönke Neitzel (University of Potsdam), Prof. Dr. Brendan Simms (University of Cambridge) and Prof. Dr. Ricarda Vulpius (University of Münster) will discuss the resilience of parliamentary democracy with the speaker. The event will be moderated by Commission President Prof. Dr. Dominik Geppert (University of Potsdam).
The event will take place at the Haus der Bundespressekonferenz (Schiffbauerdamm 40, 10117 Berlin).
Please register at info@kgparl.de by April 29, 2025.
Further information here
Dr. Christin Pschichholz as a guest on "Fakt ist!": Creating peace - how is that possible?
How is it possible to create peace in Europe? Significantly higher arms spending and a position of strength are called for by some, diplomatic efforts by others. Experts discussed these issues at “Fakt ist” in Dresden.
29.04.2025: Book presentation "Iran - Wie der Westen seine Werte und Interessen verrät"
The Chair of Military History and the Konrad Adenauer Foundation invite you to the book presentation (in German) on April 29, 2025. Dr. Ali Fathollah-Nejad will present his book “Iran - Wie der Westen seine Werte und Interessen verrät”.
The following questions will be addressed: Why is the Islamic Republic dealing with a sham stability? And why does the regime in Tehran look like an emperor without clothes in the wake of the Gaza war? What are the blind spots in our Iran policy?
Start: 18:00
further information and registration
Translated with DeepL.com (free version) hier
02.04.2025: New book by Professor Neitzel: "Die Bundeswehr. Von der Wiederbewaffnung bis zur Zeitenwende"
On Wednesday, 2 April 2025, the Bundeswehr Association's Education Centre in Berlin is hosting a presentation of the new book by Professor Dr Sönke Neitzel, "Die Bundeswehr. Von der Wiederbewaffnung bis zur Zeitenwende".
The evening will begin with a welcoming address by Colonel André Wüstner, followed by a keynote speech by retired Lieutenant General Frank Leidenberger. This will be followed by a discussion with Prof Dr Sönke Neitzel, retired Lieutenant General Frank Leidenberger and Colonel André Wüstner.
Interested parties are asked to register by sending an informal e-mail to bildungswerk@dbwv.de.
Further information can be found in the flyer
New interview with Prof. Dr. Sönke Neitzel in the WDR 5 Politikum podcast:
Wir sind Bundeswehr & Nichts erwarten, viel bekommen
Prof. Dr. Sönke Neitzel talks in the current Politikum podcast on WDR 5 about the important question: Do we need a different military culture? It is about the self-image of the Bundeswehr and Germany's historical restraint in military matters. The podcast offers exciting insights into the current debates surrounding the Bundeswehr and other socio-political issues.
The interview is part of the podcast from March 20, 2025 and can be listened to on WDR 5 until March 20, 2026.
20.03.2025 18:00 Lecture by Sönke Neitzel at the opening of the exhibition ‘The Wall’
After the conquest and occupation of large parts of Western Europe by the German Wehrmacht in 1940, Hitler had a chain of bunkers and fortifications built along the entire coastline from Norway to the Spanish border to protect against enemy attacks - the so-called Atlantic Wall. Thousands of forced labourers and concentration camp prisoners lost their lives during the work.
Photographer Annet van der Voort has photographed the remains still visible along the coastline. Although most of the bunkers are in a state of decay today, the ruins still bear witness to the National Socialist megalomania. The photo project shows the architectural diversity, the sometimes bizarre embedding in the coastal landscape and the peculiar fascination that the evidence of brutality and destruction still exerts.
At the opening of the special exhibition, the well-known military historian Prof Dr Sönke Neitzel will speak about the history and significance of the Atlantic Wall. Afterwards, the photographer Annet van der Voort will provide insights into her work.
Admission free, admission: 17:30
28.02.2025 “Auslandsinfo” podcast: Military historian Sönke Neitzel - Ist der Westen am Ende?
Professor Neitzel can be heard in the “Auslandsinfo” podcast.
“There is talk of an “epochal break”, even of the “end of the West”: what is meant is the rifts in the transatlantic relationship and their consequences. Is the USA turning its back on Europe and thus breaking up a partnership that was considered essential for European security and freedom for decades? Will Europeans be on their own in the future when it comes to containing an imperial Russia? This is what we discuss in this episode of our podcast with the renowned military historian Prof. Sönke Neitzel from the University of Potsdam.”
Panel discussion on 12.02.2025 (in German)
The DFG Research Group is organizing the panel discussion “Illegitimate violence in Russia's wars” together with the ZMSBw.
Professor Neitzel will give the keynote speech. Jan C. Behrends, Sabine Fischer, Kristiane Janeke and Frank Reichherzer will discuss. This will be followed by a standing reception.
Information on registration can be found here (registration deadline is 7.2.2025).
Memorial speech for the victims of National Socialism
On January 27, 2025, Professor Neitzel gave the memorial speech at the Schleswig-Holstein State Parliament's central memorial service for the victims of National Socialism at the Mürwik Naval Academy.
Further information (in German) can be found here.
Estonian guest researcher Igor Kopotin visits the University of Potsdam
Dr. Igor Kopõtin, Leading Researcher at the Military Academy of the Republic of Estonia, is visiting the University of Potsdam as a guest researcher. He has been a lecturer in military history and head of the Department of Strategy and Innovation at the Military Academy in Tartu since 2014.