A Amazônia brasileira é um lugar perigoso para ativistas sociais, especialmente aqueles que lutam por direitos fundiários e pela proteção ambiental. Em nosso estudo recente, publicado no Journal of Peace Research, constatamos que altos níveis de desmatamento estão fortemente associados ao assassinato de ativistas. Argumentamos que isso se deve ao caráter altamente territorializado dessa prática criminosa, que envolve a expropriação de comunidades locais de suas terras. Essa violência é impulsionada por redes político-criminosas locais que protegem seus lucros ilegais, bem como por ordens autoritárias locais que lhes dão sustentação. Ela representa sérias ameaças aos espaços cívicos locais, à participação democrática e à proteção ambiental.
Albarracín, Juan/Karolczak, Rodrigo Moura/Wolff, Jonas (2025): Violência contra ativistas sociais na Amazônia brasileira: o papel do desmatamento. TraCe Policy Brief No. 11, 26.09.2025, DOI: 10.48809/PRIFTraCePB2511.
The Brazilian Amazon is a dangerous place for social activists, particularly those who fight for land rights and environmental protection. In our recent study, published in the Journal of Peace Research, we find that high levels of deforestation are strongly linked to the assassination of activists. We argue that this is due to the highly territorialized nature of this criminal practice, which involves dispossessing local communities of their land. This violence is driven by local criminal-political networks protecting illegal profits as well as local authoritarian orders underpinning them. It poses serious threats to local civic spaces, democratic participation, and environmental protection.
Albarracín, Juan/Karolczak, Rodrigo Moura/Wolff, Jonas (2025): Violence against Social Activists in the Brazilian Amazon: The Role of Deforestation. TraCe Policy Brief No. 10, 28.08.2025, DOI: 10.48809/PRIFTraCePB2510.
Ten years ago, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada released a landmark report exposing the devastating legacy of the Indian Residential School System. Its 94 Calls to Action were framed as a blueprint achieving healing, justice, and reconciliation. But a decade later, how many of those calls were taken up? Has the political will endured – or has it quietly faded into silence? Whether reconciliation advances or remains mired in symbolism and piecemeal tactics now depends on the newly elected Prime Minister Mark Carney and his government. This Policy Brief revisits the commission’s work, political progress, and ongoing challenges.
Kopp, Rita (2025): Truth Spoken, Progress Delayed: Reflections on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada. TraCe Policy Brief No. 9, 26.08.2025, DOI: 10.48809/PRIFTraCePB2509.
In January 2025, violent clashes between competing armed groups in the region of Catatumbo led to one of the worst humanitarian crises in Colombia’s recent history, which left at least 55 civilians dead and more than 50,000 people forcibly displaced. Despite the declaration of a national emergency and the deployment of the military by the government of Gustavo Petro, the situation remains tense. In this TraCe Policy Brief, we identify key causes behind the most recent escalation of violence and discuss implications for ongoing and future attempts at building peace in Colombia.
Barrios Sabogal, Laura Camila/Wolff, Jonas (2025): Escalation of Violence amidst Colombia’s Struggle for Peace: Causes and Implications of Catatumbo’s Humanitarian Crisis. TraCe Policy Brief No. 8, 26.02.2025, DOI: 10.48809/PRIFTraCePB2508.
The right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power in India in 2014 and is currently serving its third term under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In 2018, India was downgraded to an “electoral autocracy” and, by 2024, it was categorized as “one of the worst autocratizers” according to V-Dem’s Democracy Report.The rise of the BJP has coincided with a disturbing increase in lynchings of religious minorities, primarily Muslims, across the country. This policy brief explores the causes of these lynchings, which have become an instrument of political mobilization for the right-wing government.
Banerjee, Suparna (2025): ‘Beef Lynching’ in India: Exploring the Causes of Religiously Motivated Violence. TraCe Policy Brief No. 7, 27.01.2025, DOI: 10.48809/PRIFTraCePB2507.
Die Vereinigten Staaten sind seit langem der wichtigste Verbündete der Ukraine. Das betrifft Waffenlieferungen, wirtschaftliche Unterstützung sowie Sanktionen und diplomatischen Druck auf Russland. Folglich spielen die USA für beide Kriegsparteien eine herausragende Rolle. Angesichts dessen wurde mitunter vorausgesagt, dass sich der Verlauf des Krieges ändern würde, sollte Donald J. Trump am 5. November zum Präsidenten der USA gewählt werden. Aber ist das tatsächlich der Fall?
Driedger, Jonas J. (2024): Wie eine weitere Trump-Präsidentschaft den Russisch-Ukrainischen Krieg beeinflussen würde. TraCe Policy Brief No. 6, 02.10.2024, DOI: 10.48809/PRIFTraCePB2406.
Ecuador hat in den vergangenen Jahren eine beispiellose Eskalation krimineller Gewalt erlebt. Im Jahr 2023 wies der südamerikanische Andenstaat die höchste Homizidrate Lateinamerikas auf. Als die Gewalt im Januar 2024 erneut eskalierte, rief der neugewählte Präsident Daniel Noboa den Kriegszustand aus und erklärte 22 kriminelle Banden zu terroristischen Gruppen. In diesem TraCe Policy Brief identifizieren die Autor:innen zentrale Ursachen der Gewalteskalation. Abschließend diskutieren sie, was politisch aus dieser Ursachenanalyse folgt.
Dressler, Elena/Wolff, Jonas (2024): Von der Insel des Friedens zum Kriegszustand: Hintergründe der Gewalteskalation in Ecuador. TraCe Policy Brief No. 5, 16.07.2024, DOI: 10.48809/PRIFTraCePB2405.
In conflict-affected settings, activists use Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) to attract international attention to their cause and stay informed about events. However, digital violence is a growing global concern. Perpetrators are often anonymous, making effective recourse difficult, and legal frameworks are often inadequate. Drawing on case studies of activists in Cameroon, Colombia, and Myanmar, this TraCe Policy Brief aims to (1) outline the challenges posed by increasing digital violence against activists and (2) identify how policymakers worldwide might respond to this issue.
Guntrum Laura Gianna/Reuter, Christian (2024): From Internet Shutdowns to Personal Harassment: Examining the Spectrum of Digital Violence Against Social Activists. TraCe Policy Brief No. 4, 09.07.2024, DOI: 10.48809/PRIFTraCePB2404.
In den letzten Jahrzehnten wurde in vielen Ländern die Beseitigung der Diskriminierung und Ungleichbehandlung von Menschen aufgrund des Geschlechts, der Geschlechtsidentität und der sexuellen Orientierung auf die politische Tagesordnung gesetzt. Dennoch bleibt es ein umstrittenes Politikfeld und die Möglichkeiten, frei und offen zu leben, ungleich verteilt. In allen Teilen der Welt ist die soziale Wirklichkeit von LSBTIQ* Personen – in unterschiedlichem Maße – von Diskreditierung, Gewalt und Verfolgung geprägt. Mit der Frage, wie es um die Lebensrealitäten von LSBTIQ*- Personen steht, hat sich im Mai 2023 der Ausschuss für Menschenrechte und humanitäre Hilfe des Deutschen Bundestages befasst. Vor diesem Hintergrund werfen wir einen Blick auf Deutschland und die Welt.
Oettler, Anika/Reiss, Mariel (2023): Weltweit auf dem Prüfstand: die Rechte von LSBTIQ*-Personen. Wie die deutsche Politik gefordert ist. TraCe Policy Brief No. 3, 10.12.2023, DOI: 10.48809/PRIFTraCePB2303.
A central element of the Colombian peace process with the FARC-EP guerrillas is the collective reintegration of former combatants in specially designated “Territorial Spaces for Training and Reincorporation.” A survey conducted in seven rural municipalities suggests that this reintegration process has led to a significant reduction in the perceived social distance and mistrust among the local population, contributing to the reconstruction of the social fabric. However, these successes are limited and, given the ongoing violence in marginalized regions of Colombia, are at grave risk in several cases.
Barrios Sabogal, Laura Camila/López Álvarez, Santiago/Wolff, Jonas (2023): Reintegration through Local Interactions: The Colombian Peace Process from the Perspective of Rural Communities. TraCe Policy Brief No. 2, 08.11.2023, DOI: 10.48809/PRIFTraCePB2302.
The murder of nine people with migrant biographies in an attack in Hanau on 19 February 2020 was yet another act of racist violence perpetrated by right-wing extremists in Germany. What role does contemporary racist violence play in the collective memory? Debates on making Germany’s remembrance culture more inclusive have so far mostly focused on the way it confronts the country’s Nazi past and historical responsibility in today’s postmigrant society. As we remember the victims of the Hanau attack, it becomes all the more evident that an inclusive remembrance culture is needed to address the continuities of far-right violence.
Mannitz, Sabine/Scheu, Lea Deborah/Stephanblome, Isabelle (2023): Three Years Since Hanau: How Inclusive is Germany's Contemporary Remembrance Culture? TraCe Policy Brief No. 1, 21.3.2023, DOI: 10.48809/PRIFTraCePB2301.
