ConTrust Podcast #5 / The Deconstruction and Reproduction of Mistrust with Jonas Wolff
In a world where conflicts seem to escalate repeatedly – whether in the Middle East, Ukraine, or the rising tensions between China and the USA – finding peaceful solutions often appears more challenging than ever. The rise of right-wing populist parties and extremist groups in Europe and beyond is also contributing to an increase in conflicts. But do conflicts necessarily have to be destructive?
ConTrust the podcast is dedicated to the central themes of trust and conflict, exploring how we, as a society, can address the challenges of today’s world. How can we prevent conflicts from escalating into violence and destruction? What alternative, more productive paths are there for conflictual developments and outcomes? And most importantly, how can we ensure that institutions protect us and that society remains stable?
In each episode, we tackle these questions and offer perspectives for a more constructive approach to conflicts and the trust-building mechanisms that can help keep us united during difficult times.
Episode 4 with Dr Irene Weipert-Fenner (Senior Researcher, Project Director of the Research Department Intrastate Conflict at PRIF, Principal Investigator at the Cluster Initiative “ConTrust – Trust in Conflict”) and Prof Thomas Biebricher (Moderation, Heisenberg Professor for Political Science at Goethe at Goethe University, Principal Investigator at the Cluster Initiative “ConTrust – Trust in Conflict”)
News from the research center
Dr. h.c. Gerhard Wiese – Wirken als Ankläger im Auschwitz Prozess
Der Frankfurter Auschwitz-Prozess von 1963 bis 1965 gilt als ein zentraler Wendepunkt in der juristischen und öffentlichen Auseinandersetzung mit den nationalsozialistischen Verbrechen in der Bundesrepublik Deutschland. Dr. h.c. Gerhard Wiese, der als junger Staatsanwalt zum Anklägerteam des Prozesses gehörte, berichtet aus seiner Perspektive auf die damaligen Ermittlungen und die Hauptverhandlung. Im Gespräch mit der Historikerin Dr. Katharina Rauschenberger (Fritz Bauer Institut) wird die Bedeutung des Prozesses für die strafrechtliche Aufarbeitung der NS-Verbrechen in den Blick genommen.
more information ›Dimensionen wehrhafter Demokratie in unsicheren Zeiten
Abich, Leon; Adams, Cosima; Biebricher, Thomas; Britz, Gabriele; Daase, Christopher; Deitelhoff, Nicole; Dönges, Jan; Krause, Leon; Nitzschner, Patrick; Siebert, Hannes; Siefert, Julian; Stephanblome, Isabelle (2026): "Dimensionen wehrhafter Demokratie in unsicheren Zeiten". DemoReg Working Paper 3.1.
more information ›Shifting Visions of Peace and Security
Podiumsdiskussion im Rahmen der Ringvorlesung “Peace and Security in Post-Liberal Times” mit Lisbeth Zimmermann (Goethe University/Normative Orders), Antonia Witt (PRIF), Siddarth Tripathi (University of Erfurt). Moderation: Jonas Wolff (Goethe University/PRIF/Normative Orders).
more information ›AI, War, and Big Tech
Vortrag von Ingvild Bode (University of Southern Denmark)im Rahmen der Ringvorlesung “Peace and Security in Post-Liberal Times”.
more information ›International arms control in a world of uncertainties
Vortrag von Malte Göttsche (TU Darmstadt/PRIF) im Rahmen der Ringvorlesung “Peace and Security in Post-Liberal Times”.
more information ›Enabling Authoritarianism: UN Peacekeeping and the Politics of Authoritarianism
Vortrag von Sarah von Billerbeck (University of Reading) im Rahmen der Ringvorlesung “Peace and Security in Post-Liberal Times”.
more information ›Deterrence in “Post-Liberal Times“
Vortrag von Maria Mälksoo (Copenhagen University) (Goethe-Universität/PRIF/Normative Orders) im Rahmen der Ringvorlesung “Peace and Security in Post-Liberal Times”.
more information ›The Case for (Neo)colonialism: Neotrusteeship in International Relations as the ‘Imperial Mind’ of the ‘Colonial Present’
Vortrag von Nick Lemay-Hébert (Manchester University) im Rahmen der Ringvorlesung “Peace and Security in Post-Liberal Times”.
more information ›Postliberal vs. liberal Perspectives on Peace and Security and Crises
Vortrag von Prof. Dr. Christopher Daase (Goethe-Universität/PRIF/Normative Orders) im Rahmen der Ringvorlesung “Peace and Security in Post-Liberal Times”.
more information ›