Solveig Richter

Prof. Solveig Richter holds the Heisenberg Professorship for International Relations and Transnational Politics at the University of Leipzig (since 2020) and previously served as Junior Professor for International Conflict Management at the Willy Brandt School of Public Policy (University of Erfurt, 2013–2020). She specializes in external democracy promotion in post-conflict societies, EU external policies, and peacebuilding, with regional expertise in Eastern Europe, the Western Balkans, and Colombia. Her research also addresses European security architecture and the effectiveness of international organizations like the OSCE.

Educated in political science, history, and communication studies (Dresden/Strasbourg), she conducted doctoral research at TU Dresden and Hamburg’s IFSH, analyzing OSCE democratization policies in the Western Balkans. Prior roles include senior research positions at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP), focusing on EU enlargement and Southeast European politics.

She co-edits the Zeitschrift für Friedens- und Konfliktforschung (ZeFKo) and coordinates the German-Colombian Peace Institute CAPAZ. Recent teaching includes modules on transnational politics, EU democracy promotion, and non-state armed groups’ legitimacy. Her research projects explore Colombia’s peace process dynamics and informal power networks in peace missions.