Dieter Senghaas

Dieter Senghaas (born 27 August 1940 in Geislingen an der Steige) is a German social scientist and peace researcher. After studying political science, social science, philosophy and history from 1960 to 1967, Senghaas received his doctorate in Frankfurt in 1967. His dissertation, Kritik der Abschreckung (Criticism of Deterrence), dealt with the field which has characterised his scientific activities since then: international relations, especially peace research, research on developing countries and conflict research. His studies were followed by work as an assistant at the Johann Wolfgang Goethe University in Frankfurt until 1968, and then a research residency in the USA with Karl W. Deutsch at Harvard University, among others, until 1970. From 1972 until 1978, Senghaas was leader of a research group at the Hessische Stiftung Friedens- und Konfliktforschung (Hessian Foundation for Peace and Conflict Research) and professor at the University of Frankfurt during that same period. Since 1978, he has been a professor at the University of Bremen and also active there at the Institut für interkulturelle und internationale Studien (Institute for Intercultural and International Studies). In 1986/1987 and 1992/1994, Dieter Senghaas was a research professor at the Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik (Foundation of Science and Politics). Since 1995, Senghaas has been a member of the advisory council of the Bundesakademie für Sicherheitspolitik (Federal Academy for Security Policies) in Bonn. In 1999, Senghaas was awarded the Göttinger Friedenspreis (Göttingen Peace Prize) of the Dr. Roland Röhl Foundation. In the 1960s and the beginning of the 1970s, Senghaas took a close look at the armament dynamics and the system of deterrence in the East-West conflict. Senghaas recognised an autistic structure in the deterrence situation of the Cold War, which according to Senghaas, was mostly driven from the inside and less from the outside (international processes). Senghaas' criticism of deterrence and his analysis of armament dynamics and control contributed to the development of critical peace research.