Coercive Water-Diplomacy

Playing Politics with the Mekong

In Asia, water has become a critical non-traditional security issue. Reduced water flow, resulting from Chinese hydropower dam construction, threatens food and socio-economic security. Simultaneously, China gains a potent political instrument with the ability to “turn off the tap”. The Mekong demonstrates the region’s need for rules-based institutionalised water cooperation.

Editorial

Some 30 years ago, Boutros Boutros-Ghali – who went on to become UN Secretary General – predicted that the wars of the future would be fought over water. His prediction has not yet come true, but when we look at the various regions of the world, it is clear water is becoming an increasingly scarce resource that is indeed at the centre of many conflicts – or is at least exacerbating them significantly.

Private vs. Public

Thoughts on Regulatory Matters Relating to Water Supply in Latin America

While the wave of public service privatisation in Latin America is waning, the underlying issue of regulation remains unresolved. The failure of many projects in the water sector after some initial successes shows that huge challenges remain, whether the water supply is in public or private hands. This is in part due to a failure to engage in a debate about a stable governance model for the region.

Rwanda as a Model?

On the State of Development in Rwanda and the Country’s Significance as a Role Model for Africa

Stemming the flow of migrants from Africa requires new initiatives to promote economic development in Sub-Saharan Africa. The challenge is to fight the causes of flight and open up prospects for the African youth in their own countries. Rwanda is seen as a prime example of successful development, in part due to large-scale international support. Is its development concept truly pioneering and transferable to other countries?

A New Era of Competition

The Growing Threat from Authoritarian Internationalism as a Global Challenge to Democracy

With the benefit of hindsight, it is clear that democracies long failed to realize that a new era of competition was underway between autocratic and democratic states. Such competition is visible in a number of spheres, including geopolitics. But it is massive investments in their own autocratic forms of “soft power” that have enabled regimes in Russia and China to make dramatic inroads in challenging the integrity and prestige of the democratic systems of the West.

Between Aspiration and Reality

15 Years of the International Criminal Court (ICC)

The International Criminal Court (ICC) was created in 2002 as an instrument against atrocities “that have outraged the conscience of mankind”. More than 120 states have joined since then. The global criminal court continues, nonetheless, to struggle for acceptance. Influential stakeholders such as the USA, China and Russia have not joined the agreement to date, while others are already considering withdrawing from it. Now, where does the ICC stand 15 years after its founding?

Brexit Impact Assessment

On the Effects of Great Britain’s Withdrawal from the EU on European Foreign and Development Policy

Due to the unexpectedly close result in the British general elections on 8 June 2017 and the loss of the Conservative majority, the hard Brexit approach by Prime Minister Theresa May suddenly appears to no longer be set in stone. Whether the British position changes and how the withdrawal ultimately takes shape might have far-reaching consequences for European foreign and development policy, and the potential damage is considerable. This article offers an overview of the thorny issues in the Brexit negotiations and highlights opportunities for mitigating the expected negative effects.

Editorial

Democracy is not a matter of course, as a glance beyond our immediate horizon illustrates. To paraphrase Konrad Adenauer, democracy must be filled with life every day and, where necessary, defended vigorously, both internally and externally.

Finally on the Right Track?

In Latin America, the Desire for Greater Participation Is Swirling up the Party Systems

Excessive violence, rampant corruption and defective democracies still dominate Latin America’s image around the world. But the reality has, in fact, been somewhat different long since. Education, the internet and globalisation have produced a great deal of progress on the continent. Strong civil societies have developed, and they are calling upon their governments to provide answers to their problems. Politics is no longer the exclusive domain of the politicians. Citizens demand their say. Are the political parties ready for this? Can they reinvent themselves?

Ominous Alliances

On the Correlation between Weak Statehood, International Cocaine Trading and Islamist Terrorism in West Africa

The African continent is increasingly in the spotlight of Germany’s foreign and security policy, not purely due to the refugee and migration crisis. Weak states in West Africa in particular are proving to be a security problem in that they offer an almost ideal breeding ground for both organised crime and Islamist terrorism.