Research associate at the Chair for International Security and Conflict Studies
Helmut-Schmidt-University
Holstenhofweg 85
22043 Hamburg
Email: [email protected]
I am a postdoctoral researcher at HSU/UniBwH and in the DFG Research Unit PROMISE at University of Hamburg. My research focuses on national defence policies in the Baltic Sea region, total defence arrangements, European defence cooperation and EU/NATO policies. I am particularly interested in state-society relations and how the civilian population is integrated into national defence efforts.
Email: [email protected]
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8790-3063
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexandra-maria-friede
CV
January – June 2024
Visiting researcher, School of Global Studies, University of Gothenburg (Sweden)
May 2022 – October 2022
Visiting researcher, Interdisciplinary Centre for Baltic Sea Region Research (IFZO), University of Greifswald
Since January 2019
Researcher, Department of Political Science, HSU/UniBwH
June 2018 – December 2018
Researcher, Research Project “Multinational Capability Development”, HSU/UniBwH
October 2017 – February 2018
Robert Schuman trainee, European Parliament in Brussels (Belgium)
2016 – 2017
M.A. European Studies, College of Europe in Natolin (Poland)
April – December 2016
Student assistant, German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP) in Berlin
August 2014
International Parliamentary Scholarship (IPS) Latvia
April 2014 – August 2015
Student assistant, German Bundestag in Berlin
2013 – 2016
M.A. Political Science, University of Potsdam
September – December 2012
Exchange semester (Erasmus), University College Cork (Ireland)
2010 – 2013
B.A. Political Science/Ancient History, University of Rostock
Research interests
National defence policies in the Baltic Sea region
Total defence, in particular state-society relations
Alliance dynamics (EU/NATO)
European defence cooperation
Third-party funded projects
11/2024 – 10/2025 “Active defence willingness, volunteering and voluntary defence organisations in Sweden” (funded by Sweden’s Psychological Defence Agency), Project lead: Joakim Berndtsson, University of Gothenburg.
10/2023 – 9/2025 “Prepared Together: Stronger Together” (funded by Council of the Baltic Sea States, CBSS), Project lead: Ieva Birka, Latvijas Universitāte.
Selected publications
Friede, A.M. (2026). All hands on deck: nationale Gesamtverteidigungsansätze in der NATO. Dossier 26th Foreign Policy Conference Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung, https://www.boell.de/de/2026/01/13/all-hands-deck-nationale-gesamtverteidigungsansaetze-der-nato
Friede, A. M. (2025). Controlled loss of control: the articulation of resilience as ’empty signifier’ in EU and NATO policies. Contemporary European Politics, 3(1), e70006. https://doi.org/10.1002/cep4.70006
Friede, A. M. (2025). “Security, first of all, begins at home”: how Finland, Latvia, and Germany prepare “ordinary people” for crises. European Policy Analysis, 11(1), 114–137. https://doi.org/10.1002/epa2.1229
Friede, A. M. (2024). Wie wir wehrhaft werden: Zu den Grenzen der Freiwilligkeit in Zeiten des Krieges. Aus Politik und Zeitgeschichte, 47-48/2024, 11-16, https://www.bpb.de/shop/zeitschriften/apuz/bundeswehr-2024/556393/wie-wir-wehrhaft-werden/
Friede, A. M. (2022). In defence of the Baltic Sea region: (non-)allied policy responses to the exogenous shock of the Ukraine crisis. European Security, 31(4), 517–539. https://doi.org/10.1080/09662839.2022.2031990
Baciu, C.-A., & Friede, A. M. (2020). The EU’s CFSP/CSDP in 2030: towards an alternative vision of power? New Perspectives, 28(3), 398-412. https://doi.org/10.1177/2336825X20935245
Selected presentations
“Approaches to Resilience in the Baltic Sea Region”, IFZO Annual Conference, University of Greifswald, October 2025 (Greifswald, Germany).
“Individual level preparedness – Are citizens of Finland, Germany, and the Baltic states ready for a crisis?”, Helsinki Security Forum, Finnish Institute of International Affairs, September 2025 (Helsinki, Finland).
“Reconfiguring Collective Deterrence and Defense on NATO’s Northern and Eastern Flanks: Towards a Resilient Force Posture”, EISA‘s 12th European Workshops in International Studies (EWIS), Jagiellonian University, July 2025 (Krakow, Poland).
“Resilience to Emerging Risks”, Tartu Conference on East European and Eurasian Studies, University of Tartu, June 2025 (Tartu, Estonia).
“Gemeinsam wehrhaft werden: Der Weg zu einer krisenresilienten Gesellschaft”, Europawochen, German Council of Foreign Relations (DGAP) & Bundeskanzler-Helmut-Schmidt-Stiftung (BKHS), May 2025 (Hamburg, Germany).
“From apathy to action – Enhancing preparedness in the urban centres of Latvia, Finland and Germany”, Helsinki Security Forum, Finnish Institute of International Affairs, September 2024 (Helsinki, Finland).
“Vergleich der Dienste an der Gesellschaft am Beispiel der Ostsee-Anrainerstaaten Finnland, Lettland und Deutschland”, Bensberger Gespräche, January 2024 (Göttingen, Germany).
“Innovation et défense: Les conditions sociales de la circulation des savoir-faire militaires et civils”, Sorbonne University, October 2023 (Paris, France).
“Life in a permanent state of crisis”, EISA’s 10th European Workshops in International Studies (EWIS), University of Amsterdam, July 2023 (Amsterdam, Netherlands).
“Seizing the crisis moment? Germany’s changing security role in the Baltic states”, Vilnius University, November 2022 (Vilnius, Lithuania).
“Interdisciplinary approaches to the Baltic Sea region”, University of Greifswald, October 2022 (Greifswald, Germany).
Teaching
Europe in the world (Seminar in the MA International Relations)
Conflicts, wars and peace processes (Seminar in the BA Political Science)
Research skills (Seminar in the BA Political Science)
Academic writing (Tutorial in the BA Political Science)
Voluntary work
4/2025 – 6/2025 Member of the working group for the reaccreditation of the International Relations Master’s programme, HSU/UniBwH
2024 – 2025 Member of the selection committee for the appointment of a full professor (W3) in “Political science, in particular International Politics”, HSU/UniBwH
2021 – 2024 Member of the Faculty Council for Economics and Social Sciences, HSU/UniBwH
Affiliations
German Political Science Association (DVPW)
Women In International Security (WIIS)
European International Studies Association (EISA)
Letzte Änderung: 11. May 2026