Vita

Margret Johannsen is Senior Research Fellow at the IFSH. She studied at the Otto Suhr Institute of the Free University Berlin and at the University of Hamburg, and completed her studies with a state examination in Social Studies and English. In 1994 she received her doctorate with a thesis on "American Nuclear Weapons in Europe". Subsequently, her scientific interest focused on arms dynamics in the Middle East and the Palestine conflict. From 1987 to 1997, she designed the peace education service at IFSH. She has been a Senior Research Fellow at the Institute since 1997 and was co-editor of the annual Peace Report from 2009 to 2017.

Research Profile | Current Projects

Margret Johannsen's academic work focuses on the issues at stake in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and options for resolving them. In this context, she looks into competing concepts on the Palestinian side to establish legitimacy for the state project Palestine. In doing so, she also takes the role of violent actors into account. In her current research project, Margret Johannsen examines how the Palestinian Hamas in the Gaza Strip is coping with the tension between government responsibility and armed resistance. The focus is on the relationship between the movement’s military wing and the legitimate monopoly on the use of force in government. In addition, Margret Johannsen explores the potential of declaring a long-term ceasefire (Hudna) for a settlement of the conflict with Israel.

Selected Publications

  • Johannsen, Margret. 2024.
    The Middle East Conflict. An Introduction.
    Springer Texts in Political Science and International Relations. Wiesbaden: Springer. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-658-43901-9.
  • Johannsen, Margret. 2023.
    Der Nahost-Konflikt. Eine Einführung, 5., aktualisierte Auflage.
    Wiesbaden: Springer VS. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-658-41862-5.
  • Johannsen, Margret. 2023.
    Friedensfragen: Wie sähe eine echte Zeitenwende überhaupt aus?.
    In: Frankfurter Rundschau, Politik
  • Johannsen, Margret. 2023.
    Frieden sichern, Krieg vermeiden – Ziele, Methoden und Modelle der Friedens- und Konfliktforschung.
    Unterricht Wirtschaft + Politik 13 (2): 2-6.
  • Johannsen, Margret. 2023.
    Der Nahost-Konflikt.
    In: Einführung in die Internationale Politik, 6. Auflage, edited by Michael Staack, 463-488. Berlin: De Gruyter Oldenbourg. DOI: 10.1515/9783110722529-014.