Österreichisches Institut für internationale Politik - oiip

29/04/2026

We are pleased to share a letter by Uri Lubrani, Israel’s last Ambassador to Iran before the 1979 revolution.

The letter has been made available for publication and contextualized by his daughter, Osnat Lubrani — former senior United Nations official and Affiliate Researcher at oiip.

Can Change Be Imposed from Outside? Revisiting a Letter from Iran, 1978 — and its Lessons Today

A remarkable historical document — and a deeply relevant reflection for today.

Written in Tehran in September 1978, the letter captures the uncertainty and intensity of a society on the brink of transformation. At its core lies a question that remains highly relevant today: can political change be driven from the outside?

The accompanying reflection highlights how recent developments have only sharpened this question — and why the answer may be more complex than often assumed.

Read the full letter here 👉https://www.oiip.ac.at/cms/media/iran-letter-2.pdf

24/04/2026

We’re no longer in a stable world order — we’re in between worlds.

At the beginning of 2026, researchers at oiip developed forward-looking trend reports. Building on these, we’ve distilled a meta-analysis of what might define this moment:

👉 An Age of Liminality: Contradictions in Command

Our key insight:

We are living in a state of liminality — where old systems still operate, but are simultaneously being eroded and reshaped by new forces.

⚡ Authority is splitting in two directions:
More personalized through autocratization — yet increasingly de-personalized through algorithmic and tech-driven decision-making.

⚡ States are becoming more corporate:
Political and economic elites are converging, reshaping power and influence behind the scenes.

⚡ The rules of engagement are changing:
Cooperation, participation, and resistance no longer work the way they used to.

This is not a clean transition. It’s messy, contradictory, and unpredictable.
And that raises the real question:
What does agency look like in a world that is no longer clearly defined?

📄 An Age of Liminality: Contradictions in Command
Authored by Cengiz Günay, Tizian Metzner, Theresa Rauch
(April 2026)

Read the full analysis 👉 https://www.oiip.ac.at/publikation/an-age-of-liminality-contradictions-in-command/

24/04/2026

17/04/2026

🎙️ Explore the latest podcasts from our oiip Podcast Series on Trends in 2026:

“Shifting Power in the Digital Age: How Algorithms, Energy Crises, and Infrastructure Are Reshaping our Future”

Three new podcasts by Emiliano Alessandri, Camillo Stubenberg and Ozgecan Eskiduman explore how technologies redefine power, governance and the solutions to crises in the 21st century. The podcasts deal with algorithmic governance of borders and mobility, crisis-driven energy transitions, and the rise of digital war technonologies in the MENA region.

Together, they reveal how technology, instability, and policy gaps are giving rise to new systems of control, provision, and influence—often beyond the reach of traditional regulation.

Link to the podcasts: https://www.oiip.ac.at/publikation/podcast-trend-report-4-the-iran-war-and-digital-geo-politics/

16/04/2026

Very interesting debate on Monday on the economic and geopolitical impact of the Iran war with Österreichisches Institut für internationale Politik - oiip and journalist Gudrun Harrer from the newspaper DER STANDARD
"For the world economy, the Gulf states and Iran the economic consequences of the war are devastating," said our Iran expert and economist, Mahdi Ghodsi.

16/04/2026

We are happy and proud to share our Annual Report 2025 💫

From research and publications to events and dialogue formats, the report highlights a year shaped by geopolitical challenges and exchange.

A sincere thank you to everyone who contributed to and supported our work!

👉 Discover the full report:

https://www.oiip.ac.at/news/annual-report-2025/

14/04/2026

The Austrian Institute for International Affairs (oiip) is proud to co-organize the 2026 Geneva Peace Week ‘Geneva meets Vienna” in Vienna on 3 June 2026, together with its principal initiator the Geneva Peacebuilding Platform (GPP).

Building on the enduring success of the Geneva Peace Week as a venue for enabling collective practice-oriented reflections and solutions in the field of peacebuilding, this 2026 event follows previous spin-off meetings in New York in 2023 and Addis Ababa in 2025 that sought to better connect Geneva’s ecosystem to other peacebuilding hubs. The one-day event will bring together organizations and experts on peacebuilding—broadly defined as matters relating to conflict, peace and security—stemming from both Geneva and Vienna. A set of public and closed-door discussions, both technical and political, will aim at fostering dialogue, mutual understanding, and cooperation across both multilateral hubs, and at highlighting the added value and complementarity of the range of stakeholders they host, as well as exploring promising opportunities and concrete paths forward to address pressing challenges amid geopolitical tensions and growing pressure on multilateralism.

Please save the date! More information on the program and the registration modalities to come within a few weeks.

14/04/2026

At yesterday’s panel at The Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies (wiiw), the Geopolitical and Economic Consequences of the US–Israeli War on Iran were discussed.

oiip Director cengiz günay elaborates on the lack of strategy of the Trump administration and points to challenging economic implications for the region and worldwide.

Looking forward to continuing the great cooperation with VVienna Institute for International Economic Studies - wiiw

09/04/2026

As part of the seminar series “Europe in a Fragmented World: Geo-economic and Geo-political Dynamics”, the The Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies - wiiw and the oiip invite you to following timely panel discussion:

War, Power, and Markets: The Geopolitical and Economic Consequences of the US–Israeli War on Iran
Date & Time:
13 April 2026
16:30h

Venue:
wiiw
Rahlgasse 3, 1060 Wien

The US–Israeli war on Iran has not only disrupted regional power balances and reshaped the geopolitical order of the Middle East, but also exposed the vulnerability of the global economy. This panel will explore the medium- and long-term impacts on Iran’s political and economic trajectory, as well as the broader geopolitical and economic consequences for the region and beyond. Special attention will be given to the interlinkages between geopolitical developments and economic dynamics.

🎙 Panelists:
Gudrun Harrer (Der Standard)
cengiz günay (oiip)
Mahdi Ghodsi (wiiw)
Michael Landesmann (wiiw)

🪑 Chair:
Swoboda Hannes

💡 The seminar series aims to provide an interdisciplinary perspective on geopolitical and geoeconomic trends and their implications for Europe’s future, contributing to key debates on how Europe can position itself in an increasingly unstable and competitive global environment.

👉 Register now and join the discussion: https://wiiw.ac.at/war-power-and-markets-the-geopolitical-and-economic-consequences-of-the-us-israeli-war-on-iran-er-746.html

09/04/2026

At PARTESS-COM, we work with communities, authorities, and practitioners across Europe to strengthen the safety of places of worship and public spaces. Through training, awareness, and collaboration, we’re helping build safer, more resilient communities for everyone.

Learn more www.partess-com.eu



Österreichisches Institut für internationale Politik - oiip SCENOR - The Science Crew Enhancing Faith Institutions Fundación Euroárabe de Altos Estudios Uniwersytet Łódzki LLInformatics Violence Prevention Network Diakonija Latvijā - LELB Diakonijas centrs Dublin City Interfaith Forum Bridges - Eastern European Forum for Dialogue Fraenkelufer Synagogue Erzdiözese Wien AcrossLimits (Malta)

08/04/2026

Externalisierte Migrationspolitik – langfristig zu kurz gedacht?

Im diesem neuen Policy Brief zeigen Judith Kohlenberger und Lena Sophie Reichelt, wie sich die Externalisierungsstrategie der EU in der Türkei auf die Integration syrischer Geflüchteter in Österreich auswirkt.

Die Ergebnisse stellen eine zentrale Annahme der aktuellen Migrationspolitik infrage: Anstatt langfristig Migration zu reduzieren, führen mehrjährige Zwischenaufenthalte in der Türkei häufig zu verstärkter Weiterwanderung nach Europa. Viele der in jüngerer Zeit angekommenen Syrer:innen waren über Jahre hinweg mit rechtlicher Unsicherheit, eingeschränktem Zugang zu Bildung und Arbeitsmarkt sowie Diskriminierung konfrontiert.

Diese Erfahrungen wirken nicht nur als Treiber für die Weiterreise, sondern haben auch nachhaltige Folgen für psychische Gesundheit, Bildungsbiografien und Arbeitsmarktintegration.

➡️ Das Ergebnis: höhere statt geringerer Integrationskosten in europäischen Aufnahmestaaten.

Der Policy Brief unterstreicht den Bedarf an erweiterten Unterstützungsmaßnahmen, die über klassische Integrationsansätze hinausgehen – insbesondere im Bereich psychosozialer Betreuung, sozialarbeiterischer Begleitung und Basisbildung.

Die Analyse basiert auf qualitativen Interviews und Fokusgruppen mit syrischen Geflüchteten sowie Expert:inneninterviews aus dem Migrationsbereich und liefert wichtige Impulse für eine Neuausrichtung der Politik.



Link zum Policy Brief: https://www.oiip.ac.at/publikation/externalisierte-migrationspolitik-zu-kurz-gedacht-die-folgen-langer-zwischenaufenthalte-in-der-tuerkei-fuer-die-integration-syrischer-gefluechteter-in-oesterreich/