At the LCCS, we examine key security risks of the 21st century. These risks pose major challenges to sectors such as the economy, internal affairs, and defense, but they extend far beyond these areas. Today, security arises from a dense network of political, economic, social, technological, and environmental factors.

But how can security be shaped cooperatively—across sectors, levels, and borders? The LCCS sees itself as a space where this question is addressed in an interdisciplinary and interconnected manner. We bring together perspectives from science, politics, business, and civil society in order to think about security not in isolation, but in the interplay of its dimensions—and thus open up ways in which cooperative and sustainable security policies can emerge in Germany, Europe, and globally.

Cooperative security

The security policy issues of our time affect the economy, domestic affairs, defense, and planetary boundaries equally—and often simultaneously. Security arises where actors and institutional levels think and act in an interconnected manner. The concept of cooperative security takes this reality into account: security measures can have a comprehensive effect if they are developed and implemented in cooperation between institutions, states, and social actors.

Our starting point is therefore that a sustainable security policy for Germany can only be achieved through cooperation—through the interaction of national, European, and global partners, as well as between state and non-state actors within Germany.