Deportation to freedom

Nicaragua remains a state of injustice

Surprisingly for the public, but also for those affected themselves, the Nicaraguan regime released 222 political prisoners to the United States on February 9. However, the supposedly good news has a bitter aftertaste: The deported prisoners were deprived of their citizenship and all the respective rights. In the future, the international community must continue to demand the granting of human rights and a return to democratic processes.

How to write multilateralism again?

On the question of purchase guarantees and WTO rules

German and European producers are supposed to receive purchase guarantees by the German government in order to boost the development of renewable energies. Nevertheless, this practice violates World Trade Organization rules. However, there are alternatives such as tenders that allow for qualitative aspects. This article discusses the implications of these proposals and notes that deliberate violation of multilateral trade rules is troubling, especially as the importance of such rules in other areas is emphasized.

Latin American women fight for their place in party politics

Quotas and quarrels

It was not only at the last CDU party conference that women's quotas were passionately debated. The question of how to achieve an adequate representation of women in the political arena is also driving Latin American parties. This is especially true for centre-right parties, which are looking for their own answers to the clearly audible feminist movements in the region.

 Design Options for a European Hydrogen Bank

Report about potential design choices for the European Hydrogen Bank

This report contributes to the current debate around potential design choices for the European Hydrogen Bank. It outlines potential high-level functions and objectives and assesses the relevance of these policy objectives for the domestic and imports pillar.

Analysis of the rerun election for the Berlin House of Representatives on 12 February 2023

Report on the preliminary final result, the main voting determinants, voter migration and social structure.

The CDU wins the election with a large distance to the other parties. It gains 10.2 percentage points compared to the 2021 election and achieves 28.2 percent of the second votes. The parties of the governing coalition of SPD, Greens and Left lose. The SPD has its historically lowest result in Berlin for the third time in a row. The FDP fails to clear the five-percent hurdle. Compared to other federal states, the election is characterized by particularly low degrees of satisfaction at all levels.

Correísmo On The Rise Again

The Government of Ecuador suffers a heavy electoral defeat

On Sunday, February 05, 2023, Ecuador held "sectional elections" to elect, on a nationwide level, the prefects of the country's 23 provinces, 221 mayors, 1,527 city councilors, as well as 7 members of the Council for Citizen Participation (CPCCS). In addition, a constitutional referendum proposed by the government was held concurrently with the election to address issues of security, the environment, and the structure of the state. With a voter turnout of approximately 80.74 % of the population, the "Correísmo" scored an overwhelming victory in both the elections and the referendum. The results of the elections and the rejection of all the questions put to the vote in the referendum are a debacle for both the current government and the Christian Social Party, and will determine the political future of President Guillermo Lasso.

Nigeria before the 2023 elections

The crisis-ridden country faces the mammoth logistical task of conducting the biggest elections Africa has ever seen.

More than 93 million Nigerians are called to elect a new president in the continent's most populous country and largest economy. The general elections are taking place amid mounting discontent in the country due to worsening insecurity and economic hardship. Just a few weeks before the elections, Nigeria is facing a complex culmination of problems: fuel and cash scarcity are leading to chaotic and violent situations all over the country. The elections that will decide the country's future differ in several respects from previous elections. The outcome of the elections in this - due to its size, complex politics and interconnected challenges - strategically important country in Africa is eagerly awaited.

France also withdraws from Burkina Faso - the new Mali 2.0?

After Mali, France must now withdraw its anti-terror mission from neighbouring Burkina Faso.

Romania: A "hidden champion" of digitalisation?

What does ChatGPT know and what do we know? A conversation with Artificial Intelligence about digitalisation in Romania.

Romania is a "hidden champion" when it comes to digitalisation, at least that's what we often hear. In a dialogue with the artificial intelligence-based chat bot "ChatGPT" from Open AI, we go through some factors that help to assess the degree of digitalisation in Romania. In doing so, we compare what ChatGPT knows on the topic with what we know in the Romania foreign office. Let's see if we can still keep up.

Climate protection with the web3

The tokenisation of carbon credits offers new ways for international climate finance.

Voluntary carbon markets give companies an incentive to invest in international climate protection. They are therefore given an important role in view of the increasing global climate protection efforts. However, these markets are characterized by a high degree of complexity, which counteracts their growing importance. Against this background, numerous new applications are emerging in the blockchain-based Web3 that are able to overcome these hurdles via the tokenization of carbon credits. For international climate protection, this could in turn result in completely new ways of improving its financing.