Dec 19, 2025
2025 Annual Review: Chair of International Politics
The year 2025 was characterized by personnel changes, the relocation to new premises, and a wide range of research and teaching activities:
Personnel and Structural Changes
Prof. Holzscheiter’s office during the move
The year 2025 brought several changes to the Chair. In July, we bid a fond farewell to Dr. Elvira Rosert following her one-year term as interim professor for Prof. Anna Holzscheiter. At the same time, we were delighted to welcome Prof. Anna Holzscheiter back to the team.
Jochen Kleinschmidt, Maria Weickardt Soares, Lea Bellmann, and Felix Seeliger (from left to right) at the inauguration party
Our physical location also changed: after many years in the Gerber-Bau, the Institute of Political Science moved to new premises on August-Bebel-Straße in July. Unfortunately, the inauguration party was also the final event for Maria Weickardt Soares, whom we bid a fitting farewell on this occasion. However, with every farewell comes a new beginning: just in time for the winter semester, we were delighted to warmly welcome Friedrich Opitz to our team.
Research and International Academic Activities
View from the 9th floor of the LSE Central Building during Prof. Holzscheiter’s Visiting Professorship at the Department of International Relations
During her sabbatical, Prof. Dr. Anna Holzscheiter served as a Visiting Professor at the Department of International Relations at the London School of Economics (LSE) until May 2025. Additionally, she acted as the second examiner for Julian Hettihewa’s (University of Bonn) disputation on "Youth in International Law" at the University of Oxford.
In June, Dr. Ivan Bakalov organized a workshop titled "Political Economy of Russia's War against Ukraine," which was held both online and at the Gerber-Bau. The discussions from this workshop contributed to his paper, "'Surplus People': Labour, Insider Rent, and the Commodification of Violence in Russia," which he presented at the EISA Conference in Bologna in August.
Jochen Kleinschmidt with Prof. Dr. Aleksandra Spalińska at the EISA Conference in Bologna
Also in Bologna, Dr. Jochen Kleinschmidt served as Co-Chair of the Standing Section "Exploring World Politics Beyond the State System" of the European International Studies Association (EISA). Furthermore, Jochen Kleinschmidt presented his research at the conference of the Colombian Network for International Relations (RedIntercol) in Cali. In November, he was involved in organizing the annual conference of the DVPW thematic group "Critical Security Studies" in Dresden, which celebrated its tenth anniversary. During this conference, Lea Bellmann presented initial findings from her research on the perception of security at Pride events in Saxony.
Teaching and Events
Panel discussion "Syria in Transition – Challenges and Perspectives" at the Potthoff-Bau, TU Dresden
In the area of teaching, Stefanie Gerstenberger supervised a seminar on the design of simulation games regarding the European Union; the students' results were put into practice in January. This was followed by an event on the German federal election in February and a panel discussion in May titled "Syria in Transition – Challenges and Perspectives".
The re:demo Project: German-Czech Dialogue in Theory and Practice
A particular focus this year was the project "re:demo: Promoting Dialogue and Strengthening Community", conducted in close cooperation with Jan Evangelista Purkyně University in Ústí nad Labem. In several binational seminars and workshops held in Dresden and Ústí nad Labem, students from both countries engaged with topics such as polarization, radicalization, and demographic change in the border region.
TU Dresden students participating in the re:demo project in Ústí nad Labem
The program combined academic insights with practical experiences. This included discussion rounds at the Saxon State Parliament with members of parliament as well as field trips to the border region. A vital component of re:demo was the outreach to schools: a project day took place at the Adam Ries secondary school in Annaberg-Buchholz in May, followed by another session at the Základní škola in Chomutov in November. During these events, students designed interactive workshops for youth focusing on social cohesion and regional challenges.
Student Assistants
There was also significant activity among our student assistants. Throughout the year, they successfully completed their training to conduct Teaching Analysis Polls (TAP), a format for qualitative teaching evaluation.
We celebrated the end of the year on December 17 with a joint Christmas brunch. On this occasion, we bid farewell to Felix Seeliger, who will be starting a semester abroad in Gothenburg, Sweden. Earlier in the year, we also said goodbye to Nora Grumpe and Nicolas Langauer; we thank them sincerely for their valuable work as tutors.
With this review, we conclude an intensive and multifaceted year at the Chair of International Politics. Our sincere gratitude goes to the entire team for their great support. We would like to extend a very special thank you to our secretary, Andrea Kaskel, whose work is indispensable for the Chair. We also wish to thank our tutors and student assistants, whose dedication in research and teaching makes an invaluable contribution to our collective work.
We look forward to the new tasks and opportunities that 2026 will bring. We wish all our colleagues, students, and friends of the Chair a restful holiday season, a happy New Year, and above all, health and happiness!