The initiative of Tsar Nicholas II of Russia to organize an international peace conference at the dawn of the 20th century came at exactly the right moment. During the First Hague Peace Conference of 1899, 26 countries came together to speak about disarmament and about the possibility of international jurisdiction, which led to the establishment of the Permanent Court of Arbitration. In 1907 a second peace conference was organized in The Hague. Find out more about the Tsar’s initiative and his relationship with the Peace Palace.

As migration and refugee movements to Europe have gained unprecedented momentum last year and continue to dominate the news, we have created a Library Special on this topic in order to provide you easy access to our collection: a selective bibliography, newsletters, books, articles and online resources.