{{short description|Austrian social scientist}} thumb|Gerald Knaus (2025) '''Gerald Knaus''' (born 17 June 1970<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|url=https://www.welt.de/print/welt_kompakt/article162894070/Zur-Person-Gerald-Knaus.html|title = Zur Person: Gerald Knaus|newspaper = Die Welt|date = 16 March 2017}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Liste der Autoren CIMIC-Faktoren VI |url=https://dopus.uni-speyer.de/frontdoor/deliver/index/docId/942/file/Arbeitsheft165-CIMIC-VI-Neuanfaenge.pdf#page=245 |access-date=2026-04-30}}</ref>) is an Austrian social scientist. He is a co-founder of the think tank European Stability Initiative (ESI).<ref>{{Cite news |last=online |first=FOCUS |title=Migrationsexperte enthüllt, was ihm Politiker heimlich über Flüchtlings-Lage sagen |url=https://www.focus.de/politik/deutschland/interview-mit-migrationsexperten-gerald-knaus-asylverfahren-in-sicheren-drittstaaten-durchfuehren_id_212661135.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240603212707/https://www.focus.de/politik/deutschland/interview-mit-migrationsexperten-gerald-knaus-asylverfahren-in-sicheren-drittstaaten-durchfuehren_id_212661135.html |archive-date=2024-06-03 |access-date=2025-01-17 |work=FOCUS online |language=de |url-status=live }}</ref>
==Early life and education== Knaus was born in Bramberg am Wildkogel, Austria in 1970. He studied philosophy, political science and economics in Oxford, Brussels and Bologna.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=Gerald Knaus |url=https://carnegieendowment.org/people/gerald-knaus?lang=en |access-date=2025-01-17 |website=Carnegie Endowment for International Peace |language=en}}</ref>
==Career== In 1999, Knaus co-founded the European Stability Initiative, a liberal think tank known for its migration concepts,<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-04-23 |title=Gerald Knaus, Soziologe und Migrationsforscher in SWR1 Leute {{!}} SWR1 Leute {{!}} SWR1 BW {{!}} SWR1 {{!}} SWR |url=https://www.swr.de/swr1/bw/swr1leute/gerald-knaus-102.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200423140122/https://www.swr.de/swr1/bw/swr1leute/gerald-knaus-102.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=2020-04-23 |access-date=2025-01-17 }}</ref> in Sarajevo.<ref name=":0" /> Today, the ESI has offices in Berlin, Brussels, and Vienna and Istanbul.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Think Tank Directory Deutschland · European Stability Initiative (ESI) |url=http://www.thinktankdirectory.org/directory/esi.shtml |access-date=2025-01-17 |website=www.thinktankdirectory.org}}</ref>
He taught economics at the Chernivtsi University in Ukraine and worked for five years for various NGOs and international organisations in Bosnia. He was director of the ''Lessons Learned and Analysis Unit'' (LLA) of the EU department of UNMIK in Kosovo (2001–2004).<ref name=":1" /> He is a founding member of the European Council on Foreign Relations<ref>[http://www.ecfr.eu/council/members Members] European Council on Foreign Relations.</ref> and was an associate fellow at the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School of Governance in the US for five years, where he also taught state-building and intervention.<ref name=":1" />
Knaus was among the members of the Schengen White List Project in 2009 that signed an open letter requesting that the EU allow visa liberalization for Kosovo.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2009-07-27 |title=Kosovo visa liberisation: an Open Letter by the Schengen White List Project |url=https://ecfr.eu/article/commentary_schengen_white_list_project_kosovo_visas/ |access-date=2025-07-10 |website=ECFR |language=en-GB}}</ref>
In August 2011, he and co-author Rory Stewart published the book “Can Intervention Work?”.<ref>{{Cite web |title=2017 Camden Conference: Gerald Knaus & Bruno Stagno |url=https://www.mainepublic.org/show/speaking-in-maine/2017-02-23/2017-camden-conference-gerald-knaus-bruno-stagno |access-date=2025-07-10 |website=Maine Public |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Gerald Knaus {{!}} ESI |url=https://www.esiweb.org/esi-staff/gerald-knaus |access-date=2025-07-10 |website=www.esiweb.org}}</ref><ref>{{cite book | last1=Stewart | first1=Rory | last2=Knaus | first2=Gerald | title=Can Intervention Work? | publisher=W. W. Norton & Company | publication-place=New York | date=2011 | isbn=978-0-393-08120-6 | page=}}</ref>
From September 2018 to June 2019, Knaus was a ''visiting fellow'' at the Institute for Human Sciences in Vienna<ref>{{Cite web |date=2018-08-31 |title=Gerald Knaus |url=https://www.iwm.at/fellow/gerald-knaus |access-date=2025-01-17 |website=IWM WEBSITE |language=en}}</ref> and in 2016/2017 a Mercator-IPC Senior Fellow in Istanbul.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Gerald Knaus |url=https://www.stiftung-mercator.de/de/fellows/gerald-knaus/ |access-date=2025-01-17 |website=Stiftung Mercator |language=de}}</ref>
Knaus is a co-initiator and co-negotiator of the 2016 refugee pact between Turkey and the EU.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Türkei-Deal-Initiator Gerald Knaus: "Das Abkommen dürfte halten" |url=https://www.derstandard.de/consent/tcf/story/2000109791325/tuerkei-deal-initiator-gerald-knaus-das-abkommen-duerfte-halten |access-date=2025-01-17 |website=DER STANDARD |language=de-AT}}</ref>
In 2019, he was appointed by Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development Gerd Müller to serve on a commission in charge of drafting recommendations on how to address the causes of displacement and migration.<ref>[http://dip21.bundestag.de/dip21/btd/19/115/1911507.pdf Antwort der Bundesregierung auf die Kleine Anfrage der Abgeordneten Katharina Willkomm, Olaf in der Beek, Stephan Thomae, weiterer Angeordneter und der Fraktion der FDP – Drucksache 19/10966 – Der externe Sachverstand im Geschäftsbereich des Bundesministeriums für wirtschaftliche Zusammenarbeit und Entwicklung] Deutscher Bundestag, July 11, 2019.</ref>
In 2020 he published the book "Welche Grenzen brauchen wir?" ("What Borders Do We Need?") on the future of asylum and migration policy.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Welche Grenzen brauchen wir?|url=https://www.piper.de/buecher/welche-grenzen-brauchen-wir-isbn-978-3-492-05988-6|access-date=2021-01-04|website=www.piper.de|language=de}}</ref>
Knaus has worked for various international organizations and NGOs such as the International Mediator, the International Crisis Group and the Office of the High Representative.<ref>{{Cite web |title=2017 Camden Conference: Gerald Knaus & Bruno Stagno |url=https://www.mainepublic.org/show/speaking-in-maine/2017-02-23/2017-camden-conference-gerald-knaus-bruno-stagno |access-date=2025-07-11 |website=Maine Public |language=en}}</ref>
On 28 October 2021, the German Federal Academy for Security Policy awarded Gerald Knaus with the Karl Carstens Award 2021.<ref>{{Cite web |title=2017 Camden Conference: Gerald Knaus & Bruno Stagno |url=https://www.mainepublic.org/show/speaking-in-maine/2017-02-23/2017-camden-conference-gerald-knaus-bruno-stagno |access-date=2025-07-10 |website=Maine Public |language=en}}</ref>
In October 2025, Gerald Knaus and his daughter Francesca Knaus published their co-authored book ''Welches Europa brauchen wir?'' (What kind of Europe do we need?).<ref>{{Cite web |last=Zick |first=Tobias |date=2026-01-04 |title=Zukunft der EU: neues Buch von Migrationsforscher Gerald Knaus und seiner Tochter Francesca |url=https://www.sueddeutsche.de/politik/gerald-knaus-europa-eu-erfolgsgeschichte-herausforderungen-francesca-knaus-welches-europa-brauchen-wir-li.3339994 |access-date=2026-04-30 |website=Süddeutsche.de |language=de}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Welches Europa brauchen wir? |url=https://www.piper.de/buecher?tx_auwpiper_bookdetail%5Bcontroller%5D=Produkte&tx_auwpiper_bookdetail%5Bprodukt%5D=10011340&cHash=949db5e360041b4e392acf81692d1ca3 |access-date=2026-04-30 |website=www.piper.de |language=de}}</ref>
== Views == In 2024 Knaus argued in favor of externalizing asylum procedures to safe third countries as an alternative to the EU-Libya model while Judith Kohlenberger criticized Knaus's position.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Geets |first1=Siobhan |last2=Tschinderle |first2=Franziska |date=2024-05-26 |title="Das Ruanda-Modell ist der Weg zu einem humaneren Asylsystem" |url=https://www.profil.at/ausland/das-ruanda-modell-ist-der-weg-zu-einem-humaneren-asylsystem/402904235 |access-date=2025-03-06 |website=www.profil.at |language=de}}</ref>
==Other activities== * Centre for Economic and Foreign Policy Studies (EDAM), Member of the Advisory Board<ref>[https://edam.org.tr/en/advisory-board/ Advisory Board] Centre for Economic and Foreign Policy Studies (EDAM).</ref>
== Personal life == Gerald Knaus lives in Berlin.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Gerald Knaus Bücher & Biografie {{!}} PIPER |url=https://www.piper.de/autoren/gerald-knaus-6417 |access-date=2025-01-17 |website=www.piper.de}}</ref>
==References== {{reflist|3}}
{{authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Knaus, Gerald}} Category:1970 births Category:living people Category:austrian social scientists