Hans-Joachim Spanger

Hans-Joachim Spanger serves as an Associate Fellow in the Research Department Intrastate Conflict at the Peace Research Institute Frankfurt (PRIF) since 2019, with a distinguished career spanning over five decades in international relations and security studies. His institutional affiliations include serving as Research Professor at the Higher School of Economics (HSE University) in Moscow (2016-2021), Deputy Director at PRIF (1997-2010), and leadership roles heading multiple PRIF research departments from 2004-2016.

Spanger earned his PhD in Political Science, Economics and Sociology from Goethe University Frankfurt/Main in 1980 after studies at Mainz and Frankfurt universities. His academic journey includes research positions at the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London (1987-1988) and guest professorships at Dar es Salaam's Centre for Foreign Relations (1991).

His research focuses on European security architecture, democracy promotion in authoritarian contexts, and Russia's geopolitical positioning. Spanger has developed influential conceptual frameworks like the 'Plural Peace' model advocating for alternative security approaches beyond Western liberal paradigms. His work critically examines path dependencies in German-Russian relations, NATO-Russia dynamics, and post-Soviet transformation trajectories, with recent scholarship addressing the Ukraine war's implications for European security order.

Analysis of his publication trajectory reveals evolving research priorities: from 1990s studies on German unification and post-Soviet transitions to contemporary analyses of authoritarian resilience under war conditions. His recent works (2022-2025) demonstrate heightened focus on crisis-driven transformation in Eurasia, BRICS institutional dynamics, and reimagining security architectures amid the Ukraine conflict, while maintaining consistent engagement with democracy promotion challenges in Russia.

Spanger has contributed extensively to policy dialogue through PRIF's educational initiatives, BTI Transformation Index reports, and Valdai Discussion Club publications. His collaborative projects include the 'Plural Peace' initiative with Matthias Dembinski and significant contributions to Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung policy analyses on NATO and European security.

As co-editor of influential volumes like 'The Comparative International Politics of Democracy Promotion' (2014) and 'Der demokratische Unfrieden' (2012), he has shaped academic discourse on democracy promotion's tensions between normative ideals and strategic interests. His current research examines how the Ukraine war transforms security paradigms across Eurasia, with particular attention to authoritarian adaptation mechanisms and alternative security frameworks.