Housamedden Darwish is a writer, researcher, and lecturer at the University of Cologne. He earned his PhD in Philosophy with a specialization in Hermeneutics from the University of Bordeaux 3, awarded summa cum laude with distinction. His work engages with philosophy, Arab thought, Islamic studies, and cultural studies. He has authored nine books in Arabic and three in French and published widely in peer-reviewed journals and in translation in both Arabic and English.

Antibiotics have transformed medicine by turning deadly infections into treatable conditions, saving countless lives. 

In this discussion, we will explore what antibiotics are, how they specifically target and disrupt bacterial cells, and the biological mechanisms that make them effective. However, bacteria have evolved techniques to neutralize antibiotics, including modifying their processes to prevent drug action and producing neutralizing enzymes. We will examine how bacteria acquire resistance features through random mutations and gene sharing across species. Understanding the function of antibiotics and bacterial resistance is essential for addressing the challenge of antibiotic resistance. 

This talk will provide an overview of this complex struggle and its implications for human health.

The return of Donald Trump to the White House has reignited debates over the balance of power among the executive, legislative, and judicial branches, 
and raised pressing questions about the strength and resilience of American democratic institutions in a time of political transformation. As the current 
administration moves swiftly to implement its agenda, reshape the federal bureaucracy, and challenge long-standing interpretations of executive 
authority, legal scholars and observers are grappling with urgent questions: Where are the boundaries of presidential power? What role must the other 
branches play in maintaining constitutional equilibrium? When do institutional tensions signal a true constitutional crisis—and what exactly 
defines such a crisis in a system built to endure conflict and disagreement? These are no longer theoretical concerns—they are the defining constitutional challenges of 2025. 

This joint event with AmerikaHaus NRW will explore what it means to face a constitutional crisis today, unpacking the shifting dynamics between the branches of government, the evolving role of the courts, and the broader implications for civil liberties and the future of American democracy.

Join us for a vital conversation about the U.S. Constitution with:

Prof. Dr. Kimberly Wehle, University of Baltimore

Kimberly Wehle is an expert in constitutional law and the separation of powers, with particular emphasis on presidential power and administrative agencies. She is a tenured law professor at the University of Baltimore School of Law, where she teaches Constitutional Law, Civil Procedure, Administrative law, and Federal Courts. She is currently a Fulbright Scholar in the Netherlands where she is also the inaugural Resident Thinker at The John Adams Institute. Further, Wehle is also a legal contributor for ABC News and regularly writes for Politico, The Atlantic, and The Bulwark. Winner of the University of Maryland System Board of Regents Award for excellence in scholarship. Wehle also writes and comments on the Supreme Court, election law and voting rights. She was an Assistant United States Attorney in the Washington D.C. office and Associate Independent Counsel in the Whitewater Investigation. She is the author of several books, including How to Read The Constitution—and Why, and How to Think Like a Lawyer— and Why and Pardon Power: How the Pardon System
Works—and Why.

Prof. Dr. Kirk Junker, University of Cologne

Kirk Junker, a native of Pittsburgh, studied law in both Germany and the United States, receiving his law degree from Duquesne University. He is a member of the Pennsylvania Bar and was a public environmental law prosecutor for the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Resources for ten years before obtaining his PhD in ancient rhetoric. Professor Dr. Junker is author or co-author of 9 books, including the Introduction to US Legal Culture, available in English, German and Italian, 49 book chapters, and 56 articles on environmental law, comparative and international law and ethics. He is a frequent guest on German, Swiss and Luxembourg media. Professor Junker has held professorships on faculties of law in the United States and Germany, in communication in Dublin (Ireland) and Belfast (Northern Ireland), and in natural science in the UK. For the last 15 years, Prof. Junker has held the Chair in US Law at the University of Cologne. He is currently also the Vice Rector for Sustainability at the University of Cologne.

With over 15,000 extant species and at least 150 million years of evolutionary history, ants are among the most successful multicellular lineages on our planet. Today, their total biomass exceeds that of all mammals combined, making them one of the dominant organisms in terrestrial ecosystems.

Together with a colleague from Mainz University, we will share our fascination with ants. In an informal setting, we will present some of the most remarkable studies on ants, showcasing how their adaptive innovations and functional diversity have been key to their success. Additionally, we will share insights from our own research on Cardiocondyla obscurior, an emerging model organism for studying social evolution, genome evolution, aging, and developmental processes.

 Mohammed Errbii

Mohammed “Simo” Errbii is a biologist from Morocco specializing in evolutionary genomics. He recently completed his Ph.D. in Biology at the University of Münster, Germany, where he investigated genome dynamics and evolution in insects. His research focuses on how genetic diversity is generated and its impact on organisms, using population and comparative genomics approaches, with a special focus on ants. Currently, he is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Cologne, investigating genome dynamics in asexual organisms to better understand the evolutionary significance of sexual reproduction.

Global and regional events over the past three years have conspired to bring Europeans closer together. Russia’s illegal war in Ukraine since 2022 has led to European solidarity with its democratic neighbour, including allowing Ukraine to begin the road to European Union membership.  Meanwhile, two European states, Sweden and Finland, finally dropped their neutrality and joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. The re-election of Donald Trump in 2024 has caused chaos in the financial markets and a possible trade war, again leading to strong European responses. The US President’s ambivalence about NATO has further provoked European reactions. Defence cooperation, including with the United Kingdom, is firmly on the agenda. 

This lecture will argue that decisions in Washington and Moscow have acted as catalysts for closer cooperation among European countries, precisely the opposite of the disruption they sought to achieve.

Julie Smith

Professor Julie Smith (Baroness Smith of Newnham) is Professor of European Politics at Cambridge University, Fellow of Robinson College, Cambridge and a member of the House of Lords, the upper chamber of the British Parliament. Julie’s research interests centre on the history and politics of the European Union, democracy in Europe and the UK’s relations with the EU, with particular interests in defence. Her publications include The Palgrave Handbook of the 2024 European Parliament Elections, co-editor and contributor (Palgrave, forthcoming 2025), a Special Issue of German Politics on German-Turkish-EU relations (forthcoming 2025), The UK’s Journeys into and out of the EU – Destinations Unknown (Routledge, 2017) and The Palgrave Handbook of European Referendums (editor and contributor Palgrave, 2021).

The work of Elif Shafak, a British author of Turkish descent, delves deeply into migration and gender issues. In this presentation, I will shed light on so-called "deviant" individuals and social groups through Elif Shafak's narrative landscape. I will discuss how Shafak’s fiction contributes to expanding the concept of being "human" by addressing issues of gender and migration. In essence, I aim to lay the groundwork for re-imagining social concepts through literary works.

 Ahmet Yikik

Ahmet Yıkık obtained both his master’s degree (2013) and his PhD (2019) from the University of Cyprus, Department of Turkish and Middle Eastern Studies where he currently serves as an Assistant Professor. Yıkık is the author of two books: *Voices from the Periphery – Written Works from Cyprus* (Kesit Publications, Istanbul, 2022, in Turkish) and *First Serialized Novel in Turkish Cypriot Literature: A Glance* (Günce Publications, Ankara, 2021, in Turkish). In addition, he continues to contribute to Cypriot literature through criticism and translation. His research interests include immigration, social mobility, identity, gender, and prejudice.

Following the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad’s regime, the new interim government is presented with a unique opportunity to establish good governance. However, ensuring security, stabilizing and revitalizing the economy, and building political cohesion pose enormous challenges. How the interim government copes with these challenges will be decisive for its legitimacy.

Transitional justice is another key challenge, and this includes confronting past mass atrocities and gross human rights violations by ensuring accountability and by working towards reconciliation. Without an inclusive, meaningful transition, Syria risks falling back into a circle of violence and injustice.

‘Syria in Transition’ is meant to provide insights into and to discuss the current situation in Syria, the challenges it faces, and the prospects for a sustainable and peaceful future.

This SALON event is organized in cooperation with the Institute for International Peace and Security Law and the Cologne Center for Advanced Studies in International History and Law (CHL).

This SALON event is fully booked. Please follow us on Instagram to stay tuned on last minute vacancies.

Anan Alsheikh Haidar is a Research Fellow at the Institute for International Peace and Security Law at the University of Cologne. Previously, she served as a Phillipp Schwartz Fellow at the institute from July 2016 to December 2018. Dr. Haidar holds a Ph.D. in Law from the University of Reading where she also completed her Master of Laws (L.L.M) in Advanced Legal Studies, as a Chevening Scholar. Her legal education began at the University of Damascus, Syria, where she obtained Diploma in Law. Throughout her academic career, she focused on international criminal law and international human rights law. 

Dr. Haidar is a member of the Cologne Center for Advanced Studies in International History and Law.

Claus Kreß

Claus Kreß has been Professor of Criminal Law and International Law at the University of Cologne since 2004. He holds the Chair of German and International Criminal Law and is Director of the Institute for International Peace and Security Law. Professor Kreß is also a founding member of the Cologne Center for Advanced Studies in International History and Law (CHL).

Isabel Schayani

Isabel Schayani is a journalist and broadcaster specializing in political and social issues. Since 2016, she has been responsible for the WDRforyou project, which is designed for refugees and is presented in four languages. Isabel Schayani is known for her precise analysis and committed reporting, especially on migration, integration and international crises. She has received several awards for her journalistic work, including the Grimme Prize.

10-11 March, International House (Kringsweg 6)
 

Business records of auction houses are rarely accessible to the public but offer unique research data - especially for private sales, where they often represent the only sources for changes of ownership. This symposium focuses on the Hauswedell & Nolte archive, the first German auction house archive made publicly accessible. The event, and especially the podium discussion at the evening of 10 March, is open to the public.
 

⮞ More Information

Dr. Mulu Berhanu Hundera, a scholar from Ethiopia focusing on entrepreneurship, strategic management, and gender studies. Currently a visiting postdoctoral scholar, her research focuses on female entrepreneurship in developing countries. Her expertise spans both academic research and practical fieldwork, having worked extensively at Haramaya University in Ethiopia and the Maastricht School of Management in the Netherlands.

In her talk, Mulu Hundera will let us gain insight into her study on the circumstances in which family support acts as both an enabler and a constraint on the success of female-led businesses in Ethiopia.

Her research enriches the knowledge on female entrepreneurship by reconciling research on family support and gender. It also extends the understanding of paradoxical relationships in entrepreneurship. The  study emphasizes the importance of policy interventions to address traditional gender roles and optimizing family support.

We are looking forward to hearing more about the “family support paradox” and invite you to join us.