I am a board member of the Young Inititiative for Foreign Affairs and International Relations (IFAIR). IFAIR is a non-profit, non-partisan organisation dedicated to promoting greater involvement of young people in international affairs. Founded in 2010, IFAIR has grown to become a global network of students and young professionals to make young voices heard in international relations through publications and transnational projects.
IFAIR’s activities revolve around two main pillars: our Think Tank, which allows young students, academics and professionals to publish their views on current affairs online and in our monthly column in the Diplomatic Magazine, and our Impact Groups, which provide a platform for transnational volunteer projects in the field of international relations.
Think Tank
My work on the international political economy of money and finance has regularly featured in IFAIR’s Think Tank.
2018 | ‘Reassessing US monetary bullying power’, Diplomatic Magazine and Think Tank @IFAIR.eu
https://www.diplomatisches-magazin.de/en/article/ifair-neubewertung-der-monetaeren-schikanierungsmacht-amerikas/
2013 | ‘Global Sheriff und Emittent einer internationalen Reservewährung: Für eine Reform des IWF’, Think Tank @IFAIR.eu
http://ifair.eu/de/global-sheriff-und-emittent-einer-internationalen-reservewahrung-fur-eine-reform-des-iwf/
2013 | ‘Freihandeln oder sterben’, The European. Das Debattenmagazin and Think Tank @IFAIR.eu
https://www.theeuropean.de/steffen-murau/6710-freihandelszone-bedroht-europaeische-integration
Impact Groups
On the IFAIR executive board, I am in charge of overseeing and coordinating our Impact Groups. Impact Groups typically involve a series of online and offline activities organized around a specific topics. Each impact group is in charge of securing their own funding. We are typically supported by organizations such as the German foreign ministry, EU funding bodies and political foundations.
IFAIR has so far hosted the following Impact Groups:
Future of the International Monetary System (2021)
The Impact Group Future of the International Monetary System wants to raise awareness about the structures of the international monetary system and make knowledge available to a broader population. We want to bridge the gap between academic research and the process by which public opinion is formed and democratic positions are adopted.
EU-ASEAN Perspective (2013, 2015 & 2017)
The Impact Group EU-ASEAN Perspectives brings together young people from the EU and ASEAN to discuss current issues of EU-ASEAN relations and develop proposals for the future of interregional relations. While Europe and Southeast Asia are both regions with global relevance, there is a lack of mutual understanding between the two for the motivation behind their regional projects, and also a lack of vision for the future of their relationship. As a consequence, the full potential of the cooperation between the EU and ASEAN is not used to the full. We believe that to address these pressing issues, young scholars from both regions should engage in a constructive dialogue about the mutual perspectives.
LACalytics (2016 & 2018)
The Impact Group LACalytics facilitates interregional cooperation between students and young professionals from Europe (EU) and Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). It develops in-depth analyses of current issues in LAC and the EU regarding politics, economics and civil society as well as EU-LAC relations from the point of view of young people. The aim of the program is to foster bi-regional awareness and understanding, and to promote the young generation’s impact on policy-making.
Memory as a Tool of Change (2016 & 2017)
The Impact Group Memory as a Tool of Change brings together German and Russian students and young professionals to discuss and compare the different cultures of remembrance in both countries. Given the crisis in European-Russian relations, the Impact Group seeks to place emphasis on civil society exchange, which seems more important than ever. The project’s goal is to support a “people’s diplomacy” (Lew Kopelew) to contribute to lasting changes in Germany and Russia and restore the traditionally friendly connection.
Common Remembrance, Future Relations (2017)
The burden of the past and blind spots in the construction of national historical truths often manifest in obstacles to intergovernmental cooperation. However, the mutual exchange of societies’ experiences and their understanding of past events can facilitate processes of remembrance, reappraisal and reconciliation. By connecting NGOs and guiding a structured exchange of the culture of remembrance as well as memorial practices in Armenia, France, Germany, Israel and Turkey, the Impact Group „Common Remembrance, Future Relations” has helped to reduce images of the other, to initiate reciprocal learning processes in remembrance, commemoration and reconciliation work, and to foster intercultural cooperation by planning and launching collaborative projects.
Anti-Corruption Walks Ukraine (2017)
The Impact Group Anti-Corruption Walks Ukraine seeks to spread knowledge on corruption and anti-corruption mechanisms to a broader audience by offering guided city tours inside and outside of Kyiv. The tours aim at fostering the debate on rule of law, accountability, independence of judiciary and democratic decision-making.
UN Parliament (2016)
The Impact Group UN Parliament has brought together young people from all over the world to discuss the idea of a directly elected second chamber next to the General Assembly in the United Nations. We organize simulations about the negotiation process of the UN Parliament’s statutes and host high-level discussions about global democracy.
Trilateral Ukrainian-Russian-German Peace Talks (2015)
The Impact Group Trilateral Ukrainian-Russian-German Peace Talks brought together thirty participants from all three countries in Berlin to develop a common understanding of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
Forum of Young Russia Experts (2012)
The Impact Group Forum of Young Russia Experts brought together German and Russian students and young professionals in a scientific and professional exchange during a conference in Berlin. The goal was to give participants the possibility to get to know other prospective scientists and practitioners and to exchange experiences, expertise and contacts to jointly develop new perspectives on Russian-German relations.
Foreign Policy Talks Berlin (since 2011)
The Impact Group Foreign Policy Talks brings together young people with decision-makers and experts of today in the format of informal “fireside-chats” to discuss current foreign policy issues.