Wolfram Lacher
@wlacher.bsky.social
Political scientist with a longstanding interest in violent conflict, Libya and the Sahel. Author, Libya's Fragmentation; co-editor, Violence and Social Transformation in Libya. Views my own.
https://www.swp-berlin.org/en/researcher/wolfram-lacher
https://www.swp-berlin.org/en/researcher/wolfram-lacher
Reposted by Wolfram Lacher
Die Bundesregierung darf zur Förderung vermeintlicher Stabilität nicht ausgerechnet die Regierungen stärken, die systematisch Menschenrechte verletzen. Unsere Expertin für den Nahen Osten & Nordafrika, Katja Müller-Fahlbusch, heute im Tagesspiegel👇
www.tagesspiegel.de/politik/kanz...
www.tagesspiegel.de/politik/kanz...
„Die Bundesregierung darf nicht immer wieder denselben Fehler machen“: Kritik und Zuspruch für Merz’ Reise in Golf-Staaten
Der Kanzler besucht ab Mittwoch Saudi-Arabien, Katar und die Vereinigten Arabischen Emirate. Die Regierung sieht „ein hohes Investitionspotenzial“. Welche Rolle werden die Menschenrechte spielen?
www.tagesspiegel.de
February 4, 2026 at 8:59 AM
Die Bundesregierung darf zur Förderung vermeintlicher Stabilität nicht ausgerechnet die Regierungen stärken, die systematisch Menschenrechte verletzen. Unsere Expertin für den Nahen Osten & Nordafrika, Katja Müller-Fahlbusch, heute im Tagesspiegel👇
www.tagesspiegel.de/politik/kanz...
www.tagesspiegel.de/politik/kanz...
"We are Europe's guardians", Haftar's head of countermigration tells @nissssim.bsky.social @lemonde.fr.
Dans la Libye du maréchal Haftar, les migrants pris au piège
Les arrivées en Crète depuis l’est de la Libye ont quadruplé en 2025, poussant les Européens à se rapprocher des autorités de Benghazi pour contrôler les frontières, après un accord avec leurs rivales...
www.lemonde.fr
February 6, 2026 at 7:48 AM
"We are Europe's guardians", Haftar's head of countermigration tells @nissssim.bsky.social @lemonde.fr.
Reposted by Wolfram Lacher
In Syria, following impressive international successes and the recent reunification of the country, time has come for a more inclusive political transition to secure and consolidate the gains achieved @crisisgroup.org @foreignaffairs.com www.foreignaffairs.com/guest-pass/r...
Trouble Is Brewing in Syria
Sustaining the country’s progress requires a more inclusive transition.
www.foreignaffairs.com
February 5, 2026 at 3:07 AM
In Syria, following impressive international successes and the recent reunification of the country, time has come for a more inclusive political transition to secure and consolidate the gains achieved @crisisgroup.org @foreignaffairs.com www.foreignaffairs.com/guest-pass/r...
Reposted by Wolfram Lacher
Rare for me to publish reflection pieces like this - but this one may resonate with those who’ve followed the arc of Seif al-Islam Gaddafi’s journey, and are grappling with the tangle of his legacy in Libya’s politics - & the tragedy of his killing.
emadbadi.com/seif-al-isla...
emadbadi.com/seif-al-isla...
Seif al-Islam Gaddafi - Between Martyrdom and Myth - Emadeddin Badi
Seif al-Islam Gaddafi’s killing has already been packaged as a national turning point: the removal of a “third option” for Libya, and to some, the end of a supposed last bridge out of Libya’s stagnati...
emadbadi.com
February 5, 2026 at 1:10 PM
Rare for me to publish reflection pieces like this - but this one may resonate with those who’ve followed the arc of Seif al-Islam Gaddafi’s journey, and are grappling with the tangle of his legacy in Libya’s politics - & the tragedy of his killing.
emadbadi.com/seif-al-isla...
emadbadi.com/seif-al-isla...
Reposted by Wolfram Lacher
Had a chat with fabulous hosts @oraszekely.bsky.social @peterkrause.bsky.social on their podcast on FIELDWORK and all of the ethical challenges that researchers confront - especially when studying armed actors.
More relevant than ever for my American colleagues. Please stay safe out there folks!🙏
More relevant than ever for my American colleagues. Please stay safe out there folks!🙏
Episode 3 "Research Ethics and the Study of Civil War" is now out from the Stories from the Field podcast. @oraszekely.bsky.social and I welcome @christinecheng.bsky.social + Christopher Day to discuss their recent co-edited special issue in the journal Conflict, Security, & Development. /1
February 4, 2026 at 7:14 PM
Had a chat with fabulous hosts @oraszekely.bsky.social @peterkrause.bsky.social on their podcast on FIELDWORK and all of the ethical challenges that researchers confront - especially when studying armed actors.
More relevant than ever for my American colleagues. Please stay safe out there folks!🙏
More relevant than ever for my American colleagues. Please stay safe out there folks!🙏
Reposted by Wolfram Lacher
NEW: As Benghazi hosts European soccer giants and boxing celebrities, Khalifa Haftar’s regime is betting on sports and reconstruction to win over Libyans and the West, reports Abdalla Najjar for @newlinesmag.bsky.social . newlinesmag.com/spotlight/sp...
Sports and Legitimacy in Eastern Libya
As European clubs fly into Benghazi for friendly matches, Khalifa Haftar is leveraging spectacle and soft power to reframe his rule
newlinesmag.com
February 4, 2026 at 1:35 PM
NEW: As Benghazi hosts European soccer giants and boxing celebrities, Khalifa Haftar’s regime is betting on sports and reconstruction to win over Libyans and the West, reports Abdalla Najjar for @newlinesmag.bsky.social . newlinesmag.com/spotlight/sp...
Reposted by Wolfram Lacher
Great opportunity to engage further with the arguments @wlacher.bsky.social and I are developing in our latest piece in @dissentmag.bsky.social. Sign up!
The demise of conflict studies- Peacekeeping, Peacebuilding and Human Rights | BISA
- Peacekeeping, Peacebuilding and Human Rights Working Group
www.bisa.ac.uk
February 3, 2026 at 5:18 PM
Great opportunity to engage further with the arguments @wlacher.bsky.social and I are developing in our latest piece in @dissentmag.bsky.social. Sign up!
Reposted by Wolfram Lacher
Sehr gute Polizei- und Statistik-Kritik in der taz!
Antisemitismus in Berlin: Statistisch legitimierte Polizeiarbeit
Laut Polizei sind antisemitische Straftaten auf einem Allzeithoch. Ein genauerer Blick auf die Statistik zeigt, dass sie das Problem nicht erfasst.
taz.de
February 2, 2026 at 7:32 AM
Sehr gute Polizei- und Statistik-Kritik in der taz!
Excellent reporting here on Egypt's growing intervention in Sudan flying Turkish-made drones from a remote base at the Sudanese border.
Since last November, Egyptian drone attacks have largely closed down the UAE-RSF supply route via Kufra in Libya.
Since last November, Egyptian drone attacks have largely closed down the UAE-RSF supply route via Kufra in Libya.
The Secret Egyptian Air Base Behind Sudan’s Drone War
www.nytimes.com
February 1, 2026 at 9:46 PM
Excellent reporting here on Egypt's growing intervention in Sudan flying Turkish-made drones from a remote base at the Sudanese border.
Since last November, Egyptian drone attacks have largely closed down the UAE-RSF supply route via Kufra in Libya.
Since last November, Egyptian drone attacks have largely closed down the UAE-RSF supply route via Kufra in Libya.
Reposted by Wolfram Lacher
This is a brilliant and necessary book for understanding how counterrevolutions gather steam, and not just in Egypt, by someone who has lived his politics for decades.
I'm happy to announce my book "Counterrevolution in Egypt: Sisi's New Republic" is now available for pre-order!
Counterrevolution in Egypt
The agents of coercion in Egypt—its military, police, and intelligence services—have been locked in a perennial struggle for power since their inception. Each institution has vied for dominance, shapi...
www.versobooks.com
January 31, 2026 at 10:50 AM
This is a brilliant and necessary book for understanding how counterrevolutions gather steam, and not just in Egypt, by someone who has lived his politics for decades.
Reposted by Wolfram Lacher
Here's a critique raised by our colleague Mercy Fekadu Mulugeta against the piece @wlacher.bsky.social and I have written for @dissentmag.bsky.social, which we try to address (under Mercy's text)
A Crisis of Conflict Resolution, Not Conflict Studies - Dissent Magazine
A response to “The Demise of Conflict Studies” from our winter issue, followed by a reply by the authors.
dissentmagazine.org
January 30, 2026 at 5:55 PM
Here's a critique raised by our colleague Mercy Fekadu Mulugeta against the piece @wlacher.bsky.social and I have written for @dissentmag.bsky.social, which we try to address (under Mercy's text)
Reposted by Wolfram Lacher
As @washingtonpost.com international & local correspondents, we have risked our lives, side by side, because we believe reporting from the ground serves the public good. To choke that engine of brave, committed colleagues would be devastating. If you value our work, tell Jeff Bezos to #SaveThePost.
January 26, 2026 at 6:38 PM
As @washingtonpost.com international & local correspondents, we have risked our lives, side by side, because we believe reporting from the ground serves the public good. To choke that engine of brave, committed colleagues would be devastating. If you value our work, tell Jeff Bezos to #SaveThePost.
Reposted by Wolfram Lacher
‘The destruction of Palestinian lives is now a base line in a holding pattern. The ferocious white heat of the past two years of unrelenting attacks has receded from view, but the genocide continues.’
@selmadabbagh.bsky.social on the situation on the ground in Gaza.
www.lrb.co.uk/blog/2026/ja...
@selmadabbagh.bsky.social on the situation on the ground in Gaza.
www.lrb.co.uk/blog/2026/ja...
Selma Dabbagh | They call it peace
The destruction of Palestinian lives is now a base line in a holding pattern. The ferocious white heat of the past two...
www.lrb.co.uk
January 24, 2026 at 9:55 AM
‘The destruction of Palestinian lives is now a base line in a holding pattern. The ferocious white heat of the past two years of unrelenting attacks has receded from view, but the genocide continues.’
@selmadabbagh.bsky.social on the situation on the ground in Gaza.
www.lrb.co.uk/blog/2026/ja...
@selmadabbagh.bsky.social on the situation on the ground in Gaza.
www.lrb.co.uk/blog/2026/ja...
Reposted by Wolfram Lacher
UAE plans to pay for first of the Gaza concentration camps, um “planned communities”. Naturally.
www.theguardian.com/world/2026/j...
www.theguardian.com/world/2026/j...
United Arab Emirates plans to bankroll first ‘planned community’ in south Gaza
Exclusive: Blueprints describe a ‘case study’ community where residents submit biometric data to gain entry
www.theguardian.com
January 23, 2026 at 10:50 PM
UAE plans to pay for first of the Gaza concentration camps, um “planned communities”. Naturally.
www.theguardian.com/world/2026/j...
www.theguardian.com/world/2026/j...
Reposted by Wolfram Lacher
Anekdote vom DAVO Kongress 2025 in Erlangen:
“Per E-Mail forderte der AS-Beauftragte uns auf, den Begriff ‚Genozid‘ nicht zu verwenden & Vortragstitel anzupassen. Durch den wenig subtilen Hinweis, er habe den Oberstaatsanwalt informiert, drohte er implizit mit juristischen Folgen.”
“Per E-Mail forderte der AS-Beauftragte uns auf, den Begriff ‚Genozid‘ nicht zu verwenden & Vortragstitel anzupassen. Durch den wenig subtilen Hinweis, er habe den Oberstaatsanwalt informiert, drohte er implizit mit juristischen Folgen.”
Deutsche Israelpolitik: Die Truppen der Staatsräson
Hierzulande hat sich ein autoritärer Anti-Antisemitismus etabliert. Nur bekämpfen seine Anhänger nicht Antisemitismus, sondern das Völkerrecht.
taz.de
January 21, 2026 at 8:31 AM
Anekdote vom DAVO Kongress 2025 in Erlangen:
“Per E-Mail forderte der AS-Beauftragte uns auf, den Begriff ‚Genozid‘ nicht zu verwenden & Vortragstitel anzupassen. Durch den wenig subtilen Hinweis, er habe den Oberstaatsanwalt informiert, drohte er implizit mit juristischen Folgen.”
“Per E-Mail forderte der AS-Beauftragte uns auf, den Begriff ‚Genozid‘ nicht zu verwenden & Vortragstitel anzupassen. Durch den wenig subtilen Hinweis, er habe den Oberstaatsanwalt informiert, drohte er implizit mit juristischen Folgen.”
Reposted by Wolfram Lacher
TODAY: Israeli authorities demolish the UNRWA headquarters in Jerusalem.
January 20, 2026 at 11:51 AM
TODAY: Israeli authorities demolish the UNRWA headquarters in Jerusalem.
Out in print today: This @academic.oup.com volume on Armed Groups and the Politics of International Legitimation.
Incl. my chapter on the puzzle of Haftar's extraordinarily rapid ascent to international legitimacy in the form of public meetings with senior officials from Western & regional powers.
Incl. my chapter on the puzzle of Haftar's extraordinarily rapid ascent to international legitimacy in the form of public meetings with senior officials from Western & regional powers.
Armed Groups and the Politics of International Legitimation
Abstract. Non-state armed groups—rebels, guerrillas, militias, liberation movements—not only fight for state power but also for international legitimacy. W
academic.oup.com
January 20, 2026 at 9:26 AM
Out in print today: This @academic.oup.com volume on Armed Groups and the Politics of International Legitimation.
Incl. my chapter on the puzzle of Haftar's extraordinarily rapid ascent to international legitimacy in the form of public meetings with senior officials from Western & regional powers.
Incl. my chapter on the puzzle of Haftar's extraordinarily rapid ascent to international legitimacy in the form of public meetings with senior officials from Western & regional powers.
Reposted by Wolfram Lacher
Dans le désert libyen, le chassé-croisé des réfugiés soudanais qui fuient ou retournent sur leur terre
Dans le désert libyen, le chassé-croisé des réfugiés soudanais qui fuient ou retournent sur leur terre
Entre 350 000 et un million de Soudanais sont arrivés en Libye depuis le début de la guerre, en avril 2023. A Koufra, dans le sud du pays, les réfugiés atterrissent dans des camps insalubres. L’absence de perspectives pousse certains d’entre eux à retourner au Soudan, malgré l’horreur des combats.
www.lemonde.fr
January 17, 2026 at 11:15 AM
Dans le désert libyen, le chassé-croisé des réfugiés soudanais qui fuient ou retournent sur leur terre
Reposted by Wolfram Lacher
Mediapart reveals a memo from the UAE Foreign Ministry unveiling part of its strategy to interfere in the French public debate on Islam, specifically targeting the Muslim Brotherhood, through contacts with high profile researchers or senior civil servants.
Les Émirats insistent aussi sur l’importance de «briefer régulièrement des experts français sollicités par les médias», comme Gilles Kepel, Hugo Micheron ou Florence Bergeaud-Blackler, avec des discussions «off the record» de sorte que «leurs interventions influencent naturellement le débat public».
Frères musulmans : le plan secret des Émirats pour influencer le débat public français
Dans une note interne que révèle Mediapart, la diplomatie des Émirats arabes unis détaille un « plan d’action » destiné à renforcer l’activisme de la France contre les Frères musulmans. L’Élysée, le …
www.mediapart.fr
January 18, 2026 at 5:11 PM
Mediapart reveals a memo from the UAE Foreign Ministry unveiling part of its strategy to interfere in the French public debate on Islam, specifically targeting the Muslim Brotherhood, through contacts with high profile researchers or senior civil servants.
Reposted by Wolfram Lacher
An excellent, devastating critique of a field of policy practice & academic study that became an industry of liberal institutionalism all about procedure rather than substance, by @wlacher.bsky.social & @yguichaoua.bsky.social:
The Demise of Conflict Studies
dissentmagazine.org/article/the-...
The Demise of Conflict Studies
dissentmagazine.org/article/the-...
The Demise of Conflict Studies - Dissent Magazine
An entire industry specializing in mediation, peacekeeping, disarmament, and transitional justice has become largely obsolete.
dissentmagazine.org
January 17, 2026 at 9:27 AM
An excellent, devastating critique of a field of policy practice & academic study that became an industry of liberal institutionalism all about procedure rather than substance, by @wlacher.bsky.social & @yguichaoua.bsky.social:
The Demise of Conflict Studies
dissentmagazine.org/article/the-...
The Demise of Conflict Studies
dissentmagazine.org/article/the-...
Reposted by Wolfram Lacher
It's great more and more folks are talking about ICE. But more and more people need to start talking about the private sector making their crimes possible. One key culprit?
Palantir which is working on a tool for ICE to help them find deportation targets www.404media.co/elite-the-pa...
Palantir which is working on a tool for ICE to help them find deportation targets www.404media.co/elite-the-pa...
‘ELITE’: The Palantir App ICE Uses to Find Neighborhoods to Raid
Internal ICE material and testimony from an official obtained by 404 Media provides the clearest link yet between the technological infrastructure Palantir is building for ICE and the agency’s activit...
www.404media.co
January 16, 2026 at 1:12 AM
It's great more and more folks are talking about ICE. But more and more people need to start talking about the private sector making their crimes possible. One key culprit?
Palantir which is working on a tool for ICE to help them find deportation targets www.404media.co/elite-the-pa...
Palantir which is working on a tool for ICE to help them find deportation targets www.404media.co/elite-the-pa...
Reposted by Wolfram Lacher
Gaza and the long collapse of the field of conflict studies - important piece by @wlacher.bsky.social and Yvan Guichaoua
dissentmagazine.org/article/the-...
dissentmagazine.org/article/the-...
The Demise of Conflict Studies - Dissent Magazine
An entire industry specializing in mediation, peacekeeping, disarmament, and transitional justice has become largely obsolete.
dissentmagazine.org
January 14, 2026 at 3:05 PM
Gaza and the long collapse of the field of conflict studies - important piece by @wlacher.bsky.social and Yvan Guichaoua
dissentmagazine.org/article/the-...
dissentmagazine.org/article/the-...
Reposted by Wolfram Lacher
I'm posting this piece one more time before going back to my regular unnoticed posts. Just to say thank you to @dissentmag.bsky.social for a fantastic editing process and to everyone who engaged with our arguments
The Demise of Conflict Studies - Dissent Magazine
An entire industry specializing in mediation, peacekeeping, disarmament, and transitional justice has become largely obsolete.
dissentmagazine.org
January 14, 2026 at 2:17 PM
I'm posting this piece one more time before going back to my regular unnoticed posts. Just to say thank you to @dissentmag.bsky.social for a fantastic editing process and to everyone who engaged with our arguments
Reposted by Wolfram Lacher
Impressive and brutal reflexive piece on conflict studies by two leading voices in the field: @yguichaoua.bsky.social & @wlacher.bsky.social
A short 🧵
dissentmagazine.org/article/the-...
A short 🧵
dissentmagazine.org/article/the-...
The Demise of Conflict Studies - Dissent Magazine
An entire industry specializing in mediation, peacekeeping, disarmament, and transitional justice has become largely obsolete.
dissentmagazine.org
January 13, 2026 at 7:02 PM
Impressive and brutal reflexive piece on conflict studies by two leading voices in the field: @yguichaoua.bsky.social & @wlacher.bsky.social
A short 🧵
dissentmagazine.org/article/the-...
A short 🧵
dissentmagazine.org/article/the-...
Reposted by Wolfram Lacher
A thread unpacking recent #RSF weapons-supply dynamics in Sudan, & how a set of external shocks is now reshaping how the #UAE moves materiel to Hemedti's forces - from the Turko-Egyptian rapprochement and the Red Sea fallout to the evolving Saudi-Emirati rivalry.
threadreaderapp.com/thread/20108...
threadreaderapp.com/thread/20108...
Thread by @emad_badi on Thread Reader App
@emad_badi: A brief tactical-geopolitical update on the evolving regional dynamics affecting RSF supply lines since this paper came out. Whereas RSF supply lines were primarily shaped by endogenous de...
threadreaderapp.com
January 13, 2026 at 6:29 PM
A thread unpacking recent #RSF weapons-supply dynamics in Sudan, & how a set of external shocks is now reshaping how the #UAE moves materiel to Hemedti's forces - from the Turko-Egyptian rapprochement and the Red Sea fallout to the evolving Saudi-Emirati rivalry.
threadreaderapp.com/thread/20108...
threadreaderapp.com/thread/20108...