Search on Ifri.org

See the 0 results

About Ifri

Frequent searches

Suggestions

See all our researchers
photo_kunz.jpg
HD profile photo

Barbara

KUNZ

Research Fellow
 

Main research interests

  • current affairs in Germany and French-German relations
  • German foreign and security policy
  • France and Germany in CSDP and NATO
  • Ifri Representative for the OSCE Network of Think Tanks and Academic Institutions  
  • the Weimar triangle and Europe's relations with its Eastern neighbors
  • Nordic countries' security policies, notably Sweden's
  • Nordic-Baltic security issues

Barbara Kunz has been research fellow at CERFA since April 2015.

She holds a PhD from Stockholm University/Sweden and a Master's degree from the Institut d'Etudes Politiques de Paris. Before joining CERFA, she spent several years working for the  Centre for Baltic and East European Studies (Stockholm, Sweden), Bertelsmann Stiftung (Gütersloh, Germany) and Genshagen Foundation (Genshagen close to Berlin, Berlin) respectively. Barbara moreover stayed at the Center for Transatlantic Relations/Johns Hopkins University in Washington DC as well as at the Centre for International Affairs in Warsaw as a visiting fellow.

Languages (for e.g. media requests): English, German, French, Swedish

See more

Support independent French research

Ifri, a foundation recognized as being of public utility, relies largely on private donors – companies and individuals – to guarantee its sustainability and intellectual independence. Through their funding, donors help maintain the Institute's position among the world's leading think tanks. By benefiting from an internationally recognized network and expertise, donors refine their understanding of geopolitical risk and its consequences on global politics and the economy. In 2024, Ifri will support more than 70 French and foreign companies and organizations.

You are a professional You are an individual
Ramses Conference, 2024
Analysis from Barbara KUNZ
Publications
Press
Papers

Sustaining Multilateralism in a Multipolar World. What France and Germany Can Do to Preserve the Multilateral Order

03 June 2019

While international multilateralism is under strain, it is vital for France and Germany to defend it, since it is the most appropriate system for preserving their interests – particularly in terms of welfare, security, prosperity and environmental protection. Against this backdrop, three political fields offer opportunities for joint initiatives: trade, conventional arms control and climate change.

Claire DEMESMAY Barbara KUNZ
Editorials

The Treaty of Aachen. New Impetus for Franco-German Defense Cooperation?

22 January 2019

On 22 January 2019, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel sign the Treaty of Aachen on “Franco-German Cooperation and Integration.” The document is set to complement the original Elysée Treaty from 1963, signed by President Charles de Gaulle and Chancellor Konrad Adenauer. 

Barbara KUNZ Ronja KEMPIN
Papers

Northern Europe’s Strategic Challenge from Russia: What Political and Military Responses?

29 October 2018

The return of more conflictual relations between Russia and the West following Russia’s intervention in Eastern Ukraine and its annexation of Crimea has led to a deterioration in the strategic environment for Northern European countries, particularly in the Baltic Sea Region and the Arctic.

Barbara KUNZ

The Wider Context: Germany's Baltic Engagement, the ‘Munich Consensus’ and the Future of European Security

16 October 2018
Due to its size and economic and political weight in Europe, Germany is an important actor in the Baltic Sea Region (BSR). Berlin has chosen to play an active role: the Bundeswehr’s presence in Lithuania as part of NATO’s Enhanced Forward Presence (eFP), but also proposals pertaining to Baltic Sea Cooperation within the Council of the Baltic Sea States, of which Germany is a founding member, are examples of German engagement in the region. Beyond the regional dimension, however, Germany’s engagement in the BSR needs to be seen in the wider context of German foreign, security and defence policy.
Barbara KUNZ

A French View: Oil and Water

29 August 2018

When the German president, foreign minister, and defense minister gave speeches at the 2014 Munich Security conference—speeches now recognized as watershed moments in Germany security policy—hope began to blossom in France. Would German defense and security policy finally become “normal?” Many viewed the now widely cited speeches as the beginning of a process in which the Germans would have overcome their “culture of restraint” and establish themselves as a full-fledged defense and security ally. 

Barbara KUNZ

The Real Roots of Germany's Defense Spending Problem

24 July 2018

The 1970s were a decade of anti-war movements. Willy Brandt received the Nobel Peace Prize for his détente policy toward the Eastern Bloc – and West German defense spending peaked at 3.13 percent of GDP in 1975. Clearly, those days are long gone.

Barbara KUNZ
External Articles

The Three Dimensions of Europe's Defense Debate

21 June 2018

In light of transatlantic tensions and a deteriorated security environment, European security affairs are at the crossroads. 

Barbara KUNZ

Mind the Gap: How France and Germany Can Spearhead Joint Foreign Policy Initiatives Now

20 April 2018

In light of the current instability on Europe’s borders and uncertainties about the international role of the US under the administration of President Donald Trump, it is high time for Franco-German foreign policy initiatives. With the formation of a new German government, a window of opportunity opens for new joint action by the two countries at the core of the EU. At the same time, differences between France and Germany, both on policy issues and in terms of their strategic cultures, could impede any such cooperation. 

Frédéric CHARILLON Claire DEMESMAY Laure DELCOUR Laura Lale KABIS-KECHRID Barbara KUNZ Stefan MEISTER Jana PUGLIERIN Dorothée SCHMID
External Articles

Washington Should Help Europe Achieve 'Strategic Autonomy', Not Fight It

12 April 2018

In 2016, the European Union issued its Global Strategy, the Union’s latest foreign and security policy strategy document. The strategy “nurtures the ambition of strategic autonomy for the European Union”. American policymakers’ feelings about these aspirations are, to say the least, mixed. Several U.S. officials have expressed fear that a strategically autonomous Europe would be detrimental to the transatlantic alliance.

Barbara KUNZ
Papers

Beyond ‘pro’ and ‘anti’ Putin: Debating Russia Policies in France and Germany

31 January 2018

Attitudes vis-à-vis Russia expressed in the public sphere are heterogeneous, in France more so than in Germany. In both France and Germany, the general public is by and large skeptical of Vladimir Putin and his policies. The picture is more diverse in the political realm. In Germany, there (still) is an approach that might be qualified as “mainstream”. The French debate, in turn, is highly fragmented.

Barbara KUNZ