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The Institute for National and International Security (INIS) is pleased to highlight the recent academic and international activities of its member, Prof. Thomas Wegener Friis, Director of the Center for Cold War Studies at the University of Southern Denmark, Associate Professor, and Executive Director of the International Intelligence History Association.
Prof. Friis recently participated in the organization and implementation of the “CBSS Summer University 2026: Minorities and Societal Resilience around the Baltic Sea,” an international academic program dedicated to examining the role of minorities, cross-border cooperation, and societal resilience in the Baltic Sea region.
The Summer University represents a long-standing example of international academic cooperation, now organized for the 15th consecutive year. The 2026 edition further expanded cooperation among the University of Southern Denmark, Konrad Adenauer Foundation, Danish Central Library for South Schleswig, Kiel University, Europa-Universität Flensburg, Bund Deutscher Nordschleswiger, Council of the Baltic Sea States (CBSS), and the University of Białystok – Department in Vilnius.
The program brought together students and scholars from Germany, Denmark, Lithuania, Finland, Poland, Indonesia, India, Cameroon, and Vietnam, ranging from BA to PhD level and representing a broad spectrum of academic disciplines, including history, German studies, medicine, European studies, sociology, law, and journalism.
During an intensive week of lectures, discussions, field activities, and collaborative work at Knivsberg, the meeting place of the German minority in Denmark, participants explored the position and role of minorities in the Danish-German borderlands and across the wider Baltic Sea region. Particular attention was devoted to the relationship between minority communities, identity, cross-border cooperation, democratic participation, and societal resilience.
The program also included an excursion to North Friesland, including a visit to the Nordfriisk Instituut in Bredstedt and Husum, as well as a visit to the media house of Der Nordschleswiger, where participants discussed the transformation of traditional minority media into contemporary digital platforms capable of connecting both established and new members of minority communities.
From the perspective of Security Science, initiatives of this kind are particularly important. Societal resilience cannot be understood exclusively through military, institutional, or technological capabilities. The position of minority communities, their integration into society, access to institutions, preservation of identity, cross-border cooperation, and resistance to polarization and external manipulation are increasingly important elements of contemporary security and resilience.
INIS strongly supports international academic initiatives that connect researchers, students, institutions, and communities across national borders and contribute to a deeper understanding of the social dimensions of security.
We congratulate Prof. Thomas Wegener Friis and all participating institutions, scholars, and students on the successful completion of the CBSS Summer University 2026 and look forward to further cooperation and exchange of knowledge within the INIS international network.
Share
The Institute for National and International Security (INIS) is pleased to highlight the recent academic and international activities of its member, Prof. Thomas Wegener Friis, Director of the Center for Cold War Studies at the University of Southern Denmark, Associate Professor, and Executive Director of the International Intelligence History Association.
Prof. Friis recently participated in the organization and implementation of the “CBSS Summer University 2026: Minorities and Societal Resilience around the Baltic Sea,” an international academic program dedicated to examining the role of minorities, cross-border cooperation, and societal resilience in the Baltic Sea region.
The Summer University represents a long-standing example of international academic cooperation, now organized for the 15th consecutive year. The 2026 edition further expanded cooperation among the University of Southern Denmark, Konrad Adenauer Foundation, Danish Central Library for South Schleswig, Kiel University, Europa-Universität Flensburg, Bund Deutscher Nordschleswiger, Council of the Baltic Sea States (CBSS), and the University of Białystok – Department in Vilnius.
The program brought together students and scholars from Germany, Denmark, Lithuania, Finland, Poland, Indonesia, India, Cameroon, and Vietnam, ranging from BA to PhD level and representing a broad spectrum of academic disciplines, including history, German studies, medicine, European studies, sociology, law, and journalism.
During an intensive week of lectures, discussions, field activities, and collaborative work at Knivsberg, the meeting place of the German minority in Denmark, participants explored the position and role of minorities in the Danish-German borderlands and across the wider Baltic Sea region. Particular attention was devoted to the relationship between minority communities, identity, cross-border cooperation, democratic participation, and societal resilience.
The program also included an excursion to North Friesland, including a visit to the Nordfriisk Instituut in Bredstedt and Husum, as well as a visit to the media house of Der Nordschleswiger, where participants discussed the transformation of traditional minority media into contemporary digital platforms capable of connecting both established and new members of minority communities.
From the perspective of Security Science, initiatives of this kind are particularly important. Societal resilience cannot be understood exclusively through military, institutional, or technological capabilities. The position of minority communities, their integration into society, access to institutions, preservation of identity, cross-border cooperation, and resistance to polarization and external manipulation are increasingly important elements of contemporary security and resilience.
INIS strongly supports international academic initiatives that connect researchers, students, institutions, and communities across national borders and contribute to a deeper understanding of the social dimensions of security.
We congratulate Prof. Thomas Wegener Friis and all participating institutions, scholars, and students on the successful completion of the CBSS Summer University 2026 and look forward to further cooperation and exchange of knowledge within the INIS international network.
