Rethink Security Initiative

Sicherheit neu denken ("Rethinking Security") is a German dialogic civil-society initiative. According to its official website, it describes itself as a "dialogische Initiative": within a coordinating circle that reflects diverse perspectives, it drafts papers that are then offered as impulses to its supporting organizations, the peace movement, the churches, as well as to society and politics. The initiative explicitly asks for resonance and feedback on its impulses and invites dialogue and exchange, stating that feedback enriches its next paper. The initiative publishes annual reports; its website links to a Jahresbericht 2025 and a Jahresbericht 2024. Its coordinator, Ralf Becker, has represented the initiative as an observer at the Munich Security Conference, made possible through cooperation with the project group "Münchner Sicherheitskonferenz verändern." In that framework the initiative has advanced its proposal for UN security guarantees for Ukraine. The proposal envisions compensating for the lack of US willingness to participate in necessary security guarantees for Ukraine by involving BICS states (BRICS without Russia), with the side effect of strengthening the UN and the Global South, and thereby international law. The initiative argues that in this way Europe could ideally achieve central goals of its European security policy out of the current crisis and jointly counter imperial tendencies — both of US President Trump and Russian President Putin — together with countries of the Global South. The website notes that the proposal, with reference to the initiative, was taken up among others in the Handelsblatt. The initiative operates primarily in Germany and addresses German and European security-policy debates. It is not a commercial company; it functions as a civil-society and church-linked advocacy and dialogue platform. Its output consists of papers, proposals and dialogue formats rather than products. The available evidence does not specify a founding year, headquarters, formal legal owner or membership structure, so those details remain open.

The available evidence does not provide a founding date or a detailed organizational history for Sicherheit neu denken. What can be established from the official website is its self-understanding and recent activity. It presents itself as a dialogic initiative: within a coordinating circle that reflects diverse perspectives, it develops papers and offers them as impulses to its supporting organizations, the peace movement, the churches, society and politics. It seeks resonance and feedback and invites exchange, saying that feedback enriches its next paper. The initiative publishes annual reports, with a Jahresbericht 2025 and a Jahresbericht 2024 referenced on its homepage. In 2025, its coordinator Ralf Becker was able to attend the Munich Security Conference as an observer, thanks to cooperation with the project group "Münchner Sicherheitskonferenz verändern." During the conference, the initiative brought its proposal for UN security guarantees for Ukraine into numerous conversations. The proposal is designed to address the absence of US willingness to participate in necessary security guarantees for Ukraine by involving BICS states (BRICS without Russia). The initiative argues this would have the side effect of strengthening the UN and the Global South, and thus international law, and could allow Europe to achieve central goals of its European security policy while jointly countering imperial tendencies of both US President Trump and Russian President Putin together with countries of the Global South. The website states that the proposal, with reference to the initiative, was taken up among others in the Handelsblatt. Beyond these points, the evidence does not document earlier milestones, formal founding, legal structure, membership, funding or headquarters. The initiative appears to operate in Germany and to be connected to churches and the peace movement, but the exact organizational form is not specified in the supplied material.

• 2025

  Annual report 2025 published (referenced on official website).

• 2025

  Coordinator Ralf Becker attended the Munich Security Conference as an observer and advanced the initiative's UN security guarantees for Ukraine proposal.

• 2024

  Annual report 2024 published (referenced on official website).

Dialogic civil-society initiative producing peace-policy impulses for churches, the peace movement, politics and society.

• Policy papers

  Papers developed in the coordinating circle and offered as impulses to supporting organizations, the peace movement, churches, society and politics.

• Annual reports

  Annual reports referenced on the official website, including Jahresbericht 2024 and Jahresbericht 2025.

• UN security guarantees for Ukraine proposal

  A proposal to compensate for the lack of US willingness to participate in security guarantees for Ukraine by involving BICS states (BRICS without Russia), with the side effect of strengthening the UN and the Global South.

1. 1Startseite Startseitesicherheitneudenken.de
2. 2Rethink security initiativewikidata.org