Research Department II investigates the institutional conditions of just peace. International organizations and international law as well as other ‘normative orders’ like concepts of justice and morality play a major role in solving conflicts and establishing enduring peace. But how are institutions to be set up in order to function effectively? How can the acceptance of international law and the legitimacy of international organizations be improved? How should conflicts between competing norms be mitigated and differing interpretations of law and justice be harmonized.  

Research Department II is concentrating on two research fields within the research programme "Antinomies of Democratic Peace": the role of international organizations in achieving and stabilizing ‘democratic peace’, on the one hand, and the influence of international organizations on domestic democracy, on the other hand. The first research field has focussed on exploring whether democracies set up specific “inter-democratic institutions” which have the ability to solve conflicts and to guarantee security among themselves. The analyses suggest that inter-democratic institutions promote substantial cooperation and that they act as an important component of “democratic peace”. The second research field has investigated the effects of international organizations on the internal political structure of states. In this context, the democratization strategies of various international organizations have been investigated and their sensitivity to local conditions explored. In addition, we analyzed how international organizations and international law affect domestic institutions and policy discourses in the security field.  

The department will build on these research results within the framework of the new research programme “Just Peace Governance” and will concentrate on the question of how a “just world order” can be achieved. Central to this is the problem of institutional change, the reform of international organizations and the transformation of international law. Can there be democracy in international organizations? Does the further legalization and formalization of international politics lead to a more peaceful world? How can competing concepts of law and justice be integrated in the reform processes of international institutions? The relationship between global and regional organizations will continue to be of interest here: How can different normative concepts in regional organizations (e.g. concerning human rights, peacekeeping or arms control) be brought into accord with those of global organizations?