Reiner Braun is a German peace activist, historian, journalist, and author with decades of experience in the international peace and disarmament movement since 1980. He has held leadership roles in organisations focused on peace, nuclear disarmament, scientific responsibility, the militarization of Europe (EU and NATO), military spending, and demilitarisation.
Braun has a long association with the International Peace Bureau (IPB), serving as a board member from 2006 to 2013, Co-President from 2013 to 2019, and Executive Director from 2019 to 2022. After a break from 2022 to 2025, he returned to the IPB board in 2025 for the 2025–2028 term.
He is also a prolific author and editor, having written and contributed to numerous books and publications on peace, disarmament, common security, nuclear weapons, and the responsibility of scientists. His work includes books on Albert Einstein and the peace movement, as well as on Nobel Peace Prize laureate Joseph Rotblat. Through his activism, leadership, and writing, Braun has contributed significantly to the German and international peace movement.
Reiner Braun has written and edited a number of publications on peace, disarmament, nuclear weapons, science, and international security.
Selected publications include:
- Einstein – Peace Now!: Visions and Ideas (with David Krieger, Wiley-VCH, 2005). A collection exploring Albert Einstein’s ideas on peace, disarmament, and humanity’s responsibility in the nuclear age.
- Joseph Rotblat: Visionary for Peace (co-editor, with Robert Hinde, David Krieger, Harold Kroto and Sally Milne, Wiley-VCH, 2007). A major volume on the life and work of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Joseph Rotblat and his commitment to nuclear disarmament.
- Dem Frieden eine Chance: Truppen raus aus Afghanistan (2008). A publication advocating a peaceful alternative to the military engagement in Afghanistan.
- Kriege um Ressourcen: Herausforderungen für das 21. Jahrhundert (editor, 2008). A collection addressing conflicts over resources and their implications for the 21st century.
- Wissenschaft – Verantwortung – Frieden: 50 Jahre VDW (co-editor, 2009), examining the relationship between science, responsibility, and peace.
- Frieden durch Recht? (with Peter Becker, 2010), addressing international law and the pursuit of peace.
- Verantwortung von Wissenschaft und Forschung in einer globalisierten Welt: Forschen – Erkennen – Handeln (co-editor, 2011), focusing on the responsibilities of science and research in a globalised world.
- Perspektiven und Begegnungen – Carl Friedrich von Weizsäcker zum 100. Geburtstag (co-editor with Ulrich Bartosch, 2012), commemorating the German physicist and philosopher Carl Friedrich von Weizsäcker.
- Selbstvernichtung oder Gemeinsame Sicherheit (with Michael Müller and Peter Brandt, among others), addressing the war in Ukraine, European security, militarisation, and the concept of common security.
- Common Security in the Indo-Pacific Region (author contributor, 2024), analyzing key crises in the region and developing diplomatic alternatives aimed at fostering greater peace, justice, and prosperity.
