German Peace Report warns new warlords undermine international order
Four leading German peace and conflict research institutes released their 2026 Peace Report on Monday in Berlin, warning that modern warlords are undermining the international order. The report names Russian President Vladimir Putin, US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as examples of leaders who use military violence as a normal instrument of politics. The researchers urge Germany and Europe to reverse cuts to development cooperation and strengthen partnerships to sustain a rules-based system.
BERLIN (Reuters) — Four leading German peace and conflict research institutes released their 2026 Peace Report on Monday in Berlin, warning that modern warlords are undermining the international order and naming Russian President Vladimir Putin, US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as examples.
"The new warlords undermine the international order," said Conrad Schetter from the Bonn International Center for Conflict Studies (bicc) as he launched the report alongside three other institutes. "Using military violence is their preferred method of advancing their interests. In doing so, they do not care about international law."
Ursula Schröder from the Institute for Peace Research and Security Policy at the University of Hamburg (IFSH) added: "We don't want to equate anything, but we do see patterns," referring to Putin, Trump, Netanyahu and other leaders. The report says the new warlords employ violence as a "normal instrument of politics" and attempt to curtail the political sovereignty of other countries in the interests of profit and expanding power.
The report also cites Gulf monarchies Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates as involved in numerous civil wars from Libya to Somalia. "For them, it is also all about advancing their geopolitical, strategic, or economic interests," Schetter said.
Nicole Deitelhoff from the Peace Research Institute Frankfurt (PRIF) said the warlords fuel the collapse of the international order, particularly at the United Nations. "We urge them that they must find partners in order to sustain a system of rules," she said, calling for more engagement from Germany and Europe.
The report warns that cuts to development cooperation and humanitarian aid strengthen crisis dynamics. Consequences listed include more food crises, spread of infections such as Ebola, and increases in criminality and armed conflicts in Haiti, Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan.
Germany should reverse its cuts to development cooperation, the researchers suggest, but with a warning: "Where development cooperation merely serves to deter migration or secure sources of raw materials it loses its meaning as a peace policy." The report recommends Germany focus on inclusivity, human rights and peace building in development cooperation.
Deitelhoff said Germany's failed bid for a UN Security Council seat is "surely also because in recent years Germany has often dodged defending international law." She pointed to Chancellor Friedrich Merz's response to the abduction of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro by US forces, which Merz did not definitively describe as a breach of international law, saying instead: "The legal classification regarding the US intervention is complex."
Merz also avoided an unequivocal commitment to international law following the US and Israel's attack on Iran, saying: "The legal classification regarding the US intervention is complex." The report recommends Germany create foundations for reliable weapons controls as confidence-building measures essential for peace building.