The debate in Europe about digital sovereignty, technological sovereignty, data sovereignty and strategic autonomy has been building over recent years at both the EU level and the level of individual Member States. The different concepts – and their diverse interpretations – cover the sovereignty concerns…

This paper, like the seminar on which it is based, considers how the governance of transnational critical information infrastructure (CII) could be approached at the global level. It suggests that when one is thinking about the (potential) governance of CII, it is important to recognise that not all…

Global Transformations and Governance Challenges (GTGC) at Leiden University aims to advance knowledge and practice on how we govern – and could govern – major world-scale changes in contemporary society. These global transformations include hegemonic and other geopolitical shifts, ecological changes,…

Caribbean archaeological heritage is threatened by natural impacts but also increasingly by economic developments, often resulting from the tourist industry. The continuous construction of specific projects for tourists, accompanied by illegal practices such as looting and sand mining, have major impacts…

The Global Transformations and Governance Challenges Programme hosts a range of international academic gatherings.

This edited volume explores how artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming international conflict in cyberspace.

Eva Michaels & Monika Sus examines European Strategic Autonomy (ESA) as the EU’s response to the fragmentation of the Liberal International Order.

On 29 april 2020, Beth Van Schaack defended her thesis 'Imagining Justice for Syria: Water Always Finds Its Way'. The doctoral research was supervised by Prof. C. Stahn.

The figure of the barbarian has captivated the Western imagination from Greek antiquity to the present. Since the 1990s, the rhetoric of civilization versus barbarism has taken center stage in Western political rhetoric and the media. But how can the longevity and popularity of this opposition be accounted…

This book argues that Dutch Brazil (1624–54) is an integral part of Atlantic history and that it made an impact well beyond colonial and national narratives in the Netherlands and Brazil.

Knowledge security is essential to safeguard our intellectual assets, maintain trust with partners, and comply with legal and ethical standards.

Helping people, groups and policymakers navigate the social transitions of our time.

The minor Global Affairs is built on two pillars of International Relations: International Security and International Political Economy. This minor aims to provide students with the tools and knowledge to understand the most important global trends and challenges.

The fifth edition of the Owada Chair Symposium, that was held in Leiden on 14 and 15 October 2025, highlighted the law and politics of international criminal justice.

Prof. Dominique Moïsi delivered his keynote address at the first Leiden University Owada Symposium on 24 May 2022

As a university we stand with both feet firmly in the world. Internationalisation is in Leiden’s DNA: from the very foundation of our university, the ideal of the free academy has always attracted researchers and students from across the whole world.

International law experts have voiced concerns about the recent attack on Iran. Legal philosopher Andreas Kinneging expressed a different perspective in an interview with ‘Trouw’ newspaper: 'In times of crisis, the best in people comes out.'

The Iran war has pushed up fuel prices and raised concerns about a global energy shortage. How well prepared is the Netherlands? We asked two experts.

Can photography embody the emotional and interpersonal aspects of home as well as participate in the social, political, and cultural debates on homemaking?

A measured yet theoretically innovative exploration of how Islamophobia and radicalisation intersect and reinforce each other.

Ludo Block wrote the eleventh chapter of the book 'Post-Crimea Shift in EU-Russia Relations: From Fostering Interdependence to Managing Vulnerabilities'. His chapter 'Business as Usual? Police Cooperation under a Cloud of Political Animosity' can be found on page 204 of the book.

The Leiden University Centre for International Relations (LUCIR) is a multi-disciplinary platform promoting research and education on international relations at Leiden University.

The focus of this programme is the inter-community social relationships and transformations of island networks in the Lesser Antilles across the historical divide.

How was anti-communism organized in the West? New volume edited by Giles Scott-Smith, Luc van Dongen and Stephanie Roulin on the aims, arguments and associations of a range of transnational anti-communist activists during the Cold War.

The Public Management and Organisation section of the Institute of Public Administration focuses on public organisations and the behaviour of the managers and professionals working within them. Our vision is that understanding human behaviour and organisational dynamics is essential for understanding…

Otrar as a Case Study for a 6-10th century Transition Zone

This research examines how punishment and deterrence is articulated and expressed in the management of migration in Mexico.

The Europa Institute of Leiden University is one of the oldest academic institutes specialised in the law of the European Union and the European Convention on Human Rights; it was established in 1957, the same year as the European Economic Community itself.

This book examines the critical role of information and knowledge in early modern Europe's global pursuits, exploring challenges in trusting distant information, the development of doubt in intercultural encounters, and the impact of misinformation.

Grotius Dialogue

Iran wil tol heffen op scheepvaart door de Straat van Hormuz. Hilde Woker, zeerecht- deskundige Grotius Centre, uit in de Volkskrant haar twijfels over de rechtmatigheid van dit plan. Volgens haar botst het plan met het ‘VN-Zeerechtverdrag, dat vrije doorgang door cruciale zeestraten moet garanderen…

The African Studies Centre Leiden’s Research Programme for 2025-2029 is called ‘African Trajectories: Past Dependencies and New Directions’. Building on its former programme, it extends the recognition of Africa’s pivotal role in world affairs. The continent’s global significance has become increasingly…

In the Global Conflict in the Modern Era specialisation of International Relations you will explore the security measures that have been instituted locally, regionally and globally in the modern world.

An effective and equitable approach to resource conflicts?

Sea-ing Africa explores how infrastructure in Ghana and Morocco shapes development, blending geopolitics, economics, and culture, impacting local and societal dynamics.

Political Islam is not new to the Middle East, but the appearance of ISIS has stretched the phenomenon to the extreme.

RAWCLIC’s main goal is to develop knowledge on the future raw materials (RMs) demand, supply and associated environmental impacts induced by the energy and digital transitions in the EU, and to support fact-based industry- and policy- decision-making enabling these transitions.

Below you will find an overview of how researchers from the Faculty of Governance and Global Affairs and their research appear in the media, and you can read more about topics that concern the Faculty.

The Institute of Public Administration at Leiden University is located in the administrative heart of the Netherlands, The Hague. From this central location, the institute bridges academic research and practical application to address current issues both domestically and internationally.

The Hague Program for Cyber Norms, a research program at the Institute of Security and Global Affairs, published its second policy brief, in which Dennis Broeders, Liisi Adamson and Rogier Creemers explore aspects of the relationship between China and Russia in cyberspace.

An interdisciplinary and innovative research group combining History, underwater archaeology, GIS and wood provenancing methods.

History of Africa and the Americas

Why is Crossnational and Cross-cultural agents such as Henrich Carloff and Willem Leyel important when studying Early Modern expansion?

Leiden is the place for Law

The one-year MA in Russian and Eurasian Studies at Leiden University is a unique programme that stands out for its interdisciplinary approach and relevance to current global affairs.