Culture and education are central instruments of a peace-oriented foreign policy – for crisis prevention, protecting cultural heritage and promoting democracy. ifa shows how cultural work contributes to global stability.
Today, security is more than military deterrence or geopolitical strategy. It is also built in the cultural sphere – where people meet one another, develop trust and negotiate common values. Cultural education, dialogue formats and international exchange programmes create the basis for peace, social cohesion and democratic stability, and are thus at the core of modern security architectures.
Foreign cultural and education policy thus understands culture to be a central resource for long-term crisis prevention and social resilience. As an intermediary organisation for international cultural exchange, ifa – Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen strengthens international cultural relations, promotes cooperation between civil societies and creates safe spaces where understanding can emerge.
At the same time, ifa protects artistic freedom around the world, supports artists and cultural practitioners at risk and strengthens civil society initiatives in fragile contexts. Through protection programmes, research and international networks, ifa contributes to safeguarding cultural rights and broadening the scope for democratic action.
Thus, culture becomes a strategic factor for global security: a driving force for intercultural dialogue, a safe space for threatened voices and a catalyst for promoting democracy, sustainable social transformation and a strong civil society.
Culture and education make a key contribution to preventing crises, protecting at-risk actors and strengthening democratic structures.
ifa envisages the following measures as part of a holistic security strategy, which will be explained in more detail below:
Intercultural dialogue is an effective instrument for civilian crisis prevention because it makes connections and builds understanding in areas dominated by distrust or enemy stereotypes. In conflict regions, work in the field of culture enables people to meet as equals and strengthens social resilience by promoting exchange, participation and creative cooperation.
The ifa study "Kulturtätige aus Belarus, Russland und der Ukraine" (Cultural Practitioners from Belarus, Russia and Ukraine) impressively demonstrates how transnational cooperation still exists, in spite of war, repression and exile. It sheds light on challenges such as traumatisation, bureaucratic hurdles, digital security and political risks. At the same time, the study highlights the potential that lies in cultural collaboration and makes recommendations, including in particular increasing the financing for protection and funding programmes, greater integration of diaspora groups and the systematic development of stable transnational networks.
In his study "Relocating the Russian Cultural Scene", Tigran Amiryan, semiologist, founder and director of the Cultural and Social Narratives Laboratory, extends this perspective to include the cultural and political structures in Armenia and Georgia. He shows how migration changes cultural practices and narratives, how new partnerships come about and where, at the same time, areas of tension emerge.
Amiryan deepens these observations in the podcast series "Russian Cultural Actors in the Southern Caucasus", combining them with examples from his research. He highlights the strong influence of political framework conditions, historical conflicts and post-imperial narratives on cooperation between local and migrant cultural practitioners. It is particularly evident in the South Caucasian context how fragile processes of dialogue can be – and why cultural rights, transparent rules for integration and long-term facilitated exchange spaces are decisive to enable cooperation to be successful without marginalising local communities.
Investments in the field of culture and in the conditions that allow people to fully participate in cultural life are absolutely necessary to create cultural democracies, and to foster civic engagement, including engagement for peace.
Karima Bennoune, Lewis M. Simes Professor of Law, University of Michigan Law School, USA
Moreover, the central insights of the ICRRA Conference "Culture In Security" underline the strategic significance of cultural work for global security. The arts, cultural heritage and civil society cooperation make a measurable contribution to fostering peace, upholding human rights and resilience in fragile societies. The policy brief "Shaping Cultural Policies in Europe for Free and Democratic Societies" emphasises that cultural participation must be accessible to all. Culture is not a luxury, but a social necessity. It fosters social cohesion and strengthens the ability to constructively handle differences, and should therefore be regarded as a question of national security.
ifa applies these insights in practice in its projects – for example though the CrossCulture Programme (CCP) and the zivik Funding Programme.
The two programmes strengthen local partner organisations and promote exchange and dialogue. In addition, they support civil society actors so that they can continue to be able to act in crisis contexts. Thus, ifa anchors culture as an effective instrument for civil conflict resolution and makes intercultural dialogue a central building block of sustainable security policy.
Around the world, artists are threatened by war, extremism, state repression and the results of the climate crisis. In such contexts, safe spaces and targeted funding programmes are key instruments to safeguard artistic work and to uphold artistic freedom.
The Martin Roth Initiative (MRI) offers temporary relocation for threatened artists and cultural practitioners and enables them to continue their work in safe conditions. Similarly, the Elisabeth Selbert Initiative (ESI) supports at-risk human rights defenders by offering them a safe place to recuperate, cope with trauma and further their professional development. Thus, ifa makes a key contribution to strengthening civil society and its cultural rights.
How can newly-arrived artists from countries with restricted freedom of art and expression gain a footing in Germany? The ifa study "Perspectives beyond Relocation" by Serap Yılmaz-Dreger and Lisa Bogerts highlights that diaspora communities play a key role for the ongoing creative work and integration of newly-arriving artists. International protection programmes such as the MRI or ESI offer vital temporary support. The authors of the study also emphasise the need for sustainable, long-term and easily accessible funding structures in order to overcome precarious working conditions and to offer stable perspectives.
Yılmaz-Dreger and Bogerts also give an insight into these challenges in their episode of "Die Kulturmittler:innen" podcast. They explain what support artists need before and after their arrival – from a safe place to stay, legal advice and psychological support to reliable networks. These forms of assistance are intended to provide orientation, create realistic expectations and facilitate creative independence. The episode impressively shows why diaspora communities play a vital bridging role, particularly after artists have just arrived and how funding programmes, together with these communities, can be designed in a way that is more sustainable.
What new arrivals want, above all, is to be able to work 'normally' in their profession, to earn their own living and to be included in social and professional networks. To enable this to happen, it seems more appropriate to speak of self-empowering 'possibilities' than of 'support'.
Lisa Bogerts (Protest and Conflict Researcher), Serap Yılmaz-Dreger (Sociologist)
The study "The Fragile Triangle of Artistic Freedom" identifies global gaps in protection, dependence on funding and the fragile exchange of information between NGOs, artists and international organisations. At the same time, it shows positive developments in the area of monitoring artistic freedom. In addition, the podcast episode "Self-Censorship in the Arts" with Sverre Pedersen illuminates how threats and uncertainties lead to self-censorship and what strategies artists develop to maintain their artistic freedom.
ifa’s approach is that protection should not mean merely temporary security. Strong networks, transnational cooperation and long-term funding structures are decisive to ensure that at-risk cultural practitioners can be integrated in the long term in local and international cultural and democracy networks.
Art, culture and civil-society commitment are central instruments to counter extremist tendencies and to strengthen democratic structures. Creative formats and exchange projects promote social participation, pluralist debate and an awareness of democratic values. ifa supports these approaches through programmes such as CCP Synergy and the zivik Funding Programme, which work in a targeted way to network and to strengthen the work of NGOs, local partner organisations and civil-society actors in crisis regions.
Studies in the context of foreign cultural and education policy highlight the effect of such measures, showing how targeted funding, dialogue projects and networking formats have both a preventive effect against radicalisation and build long-term democratic resilience.
Ultimately, the awareness that, despite its flaws, democracy remains the best form of government for individuals in history is also part of democratic culture.
Carlo Masala, Director of the Centre for Intelligence and Security Studies (CISS), University of the Bundeswehr, Munich
ifa podcast episodes also take up practical issues relating to how cultural work functions as an instrument for fostering peace and preventing extremism. In the German episode "Wie geht Frieden?" (How Does Peace Work?) with Hans-Joachim Gießmann, it becomes clear how cultural work at civilian level can prevent conflicts. By reference to specific examples of cultural networks, Gießmann shows how intercultural exchange, participative projects and educational offerings promote democratic values and strengthen social resilience.
In "Zwischen Marschflugkörpern und Museen: Sicherheitspolitik und Soft Power" (Between cruise missiles and museums: Security policy and soft power), security expert Carlo Masala explains how cultural education and communication are essential elements of a defensive democracy because they promote trust, orientation and critical awareness. Culture creates not only local resilience, but also has a global effect. It enhances the appeal of democratic values, builds competence in dealing with disinformation and enables states to pursue their foreign and security policy objectives through soft power.
By stepping out of the observer’s role and engaging actively, art and culture provide meaningful spaces for exchange and understanding, serving as a catalyst for dialogue. That applies both to crisis preparedness and reconciliation.
Daniela Schwarzer, ifa President
The result: Strengthening civil societies through culture is one of the most effective levers to make democracies more resilient – at local and global level. In conversation with moderator Amira El Ahl, ifa Secretary General Gitte Zschoch and ifa President Professor Daniela Schwarzer shed light on how cultural exchange can offer orientation in an increasingly fragmented international environment. They show why today cultural relations and confidence-building measures are not only 'soft', but strategically relevant instruments of international policy.
In her article in Politik & Kultur "Promoting Freedom, Strengthening Diversity and Democracy", Daniela Schwarzer also underlines that freedom is a prerequisite for security. Art needs freedom, and freedom needs reliable structures and safe and participatory spaces.
ifa creates such spaces not only through its protection programmes, but also through its Deployment Programme in which cultural managers and editors provide direct on-site support for organisations of German minorities im Eastern Europe and Central Asia. Similarly, multilingual dialogue platforms such as Qantara.de and KULTURAUSTAUSCH enable an open dialogue to take place across borders. They provide a stage for international journalists and voices from civil society that elsewhere often go unheard.
These examples, studies and programmes clearly show the diverse ways in which culture is a resource for peace, resilience and security. They also show where the central levers are and what political, structural and social conditions must be met in order for cultural work to fulfil its potential. The following questions provide a succinct overview of the key aspects.
Cultural dialogue formats have a preventive effect through creating reliable, transnational spaces for interaction. Programmes such as the CrossCulture Programme and the zivik Funding Programme promote stable networks between cultural practitioners, activists and institutions. When these formats are integrated into local and international peace programmes, they have a long-term effect and support deescalation in fragile contexts.
Artists and cultural practitioners at risk can be effectively protected and integrated in the long term through extending and further developing protection programmes such as the Martin Roth Initiative (MRI) and the Elisabeth Selbert Initiative (ESI). Diaspora networks should be strengthened, as they are key intermediaries for vocational integration, cultural networking and self-organisation. Special programmes for groups particularly at risk, such as LGBTQAI+ artists or ethnic minorities, can provide additional protection. To supplement the above, easily-accessible information platforms on funding programmes, legal advice and further training opportunities should be created.
Art and culture foster democratic values, strengthen social resilience and create space for pluralist debates. Democratic competence is imparted through projects, media formats and educational offerings. Numerous episodes of the ifa podcast "Die Kulturmittler:innen", such as the interview with Bernd Reiter, illustrate with practical examples how cultural work counters extremism and strengthens democratic processes.
The effect of cultural security measures can be ensured long-term by means of long-term financing, institutional anchoring and regular evaluations. Transnational cooperation and knowledge transfer between countries of origin and receiving countries increase stability and adaptability to new threats.
Policy, research and practice can be better combined by strengthening networks such as EUNIC (EU National Institutes for Culture) or the International Cultural Relations Research Alliance (ICRRA), which bring together academics, practitioners and political decisionmakers. By systematically documenting project successes and challenges, knowledge can be continually generated for future measures. In addition, research findings on diaspora communities, artists in exile and artistic freedom should be integrated into strategic planning and funding decisions in order to be able to use culture as a security factor in a targeted way.
