At the Crossroads

The Role of Renewable Energies in Kazakhstan’s Macroeconomic Development

For many developing countries and states undergoing the transition to a market economy, the promise of vast natural resources has long since become a burden. Initially, the traditional economy was sacrificed to the “lure of the fast buck”, but the wealth based on natural resources came to benefit only a select few. Ultimately, the country missed the right time to utilise its natural resource wealth to develop the economy in a way that would secure future prosperity. Is Kazakhstan going a different way?

At the Limits of Endurance

Climate Change and Resource Conflicts as Challenges to the Asia-Pacific Region

What is feared in Europe is already a reality in Asia: Up to 30 million people have had to flee their homes. Climate change, energy shortages and competition over resources have exacerbated conflicts among states – a vicious circle that threatens to nullify all developmental progress made thus far, the consequences of which even Europe will be forced to bear.

Climate Change and Energy Security in the Anthropocene

Africa in the Light of the Paris Climate Protection Agreement

Africa is affected particularly strongly by the impacts of climate change. The continent, home to 1.2 billion people, many of whom live below the poverty line, is experiencing more frequent instances of drought and torrential rain. The implementation of the Paris Climate Protection Agreement of December 2015 will depend substantially on the steps African states will be prepared to take to drive their further development while making efforts to minimise the emission of greenhouse gases.

Editorial

The fight against climate change is not merely a question of ecological necessity but a question of economic reason. It is a question of generational equity, a question of compassion and a question of humanity and its future.

From Opposition to Adaptation

Energy Security and Economic Change as Drivers of a New Climate Policy in the Gulf?

For a long time, the conservative position of the Gulf States in international climate diplomacy was considered an obstacle to climate protection, as the profits from the lucrative trade in oil and gas ensured economic prosperity and political stability. The breakthrough of the COP21 negotiations in Paris, however, has provided indications of cautious change, driven above all by increasing concerns about the countries’ own energy security and falling returns from oil.

On the Wrong Track?

German Climate Policy after the Paris Agreement

The Paris Agreement has stimulated the German debate about climate protection and has once more drawn further attention to issues like the ''Energiewende'' (energy transition) or national climate targets. But what derives from the Paris Agreement for Germany? How can Germany contribute most effectively and efficiently to the development of global climate protection – and how rather not?

Security Risks from Climate Change

New (Old) Conflicts in Latin America

Climate change has gained a firm hold on Latin America. Hurricanes, melting glaciers, droughts and flooding are the aspects that grab the media spotlight. The increasing risks to the electricity supply and the growing adaptation pressure in the megacities are slower to come to public attention. In addition, worsening conflicts over water and land use pose new security policy challenges.

Trump is Simply the End Product

The Polarisation of U.S. Politics Is the Culmination of Long-Term Trends

At the beginning of the U.S. primaries, the candidacies of political outsiders Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders invoked laughter among the political establishment in Washington. But the possibility of a candidate such as Trump actually ending up in the White House can no longer be ruled out. This article addresses a number of factors in the polarisation of U.S. politics and society and will illustrate that this is the result of long-term trends.

Where Putin’s Russia Ends

“Novorossija” and the Development of National Consciousness in Ukraine

In early 2014 the existence of an independent Ukraine hung by a thread. Russia had annexed the Crimean Peninsula, and with the “Russian Spring” a “hybrid” war in eastern Ukraine was initiated. At this moment the watchwords of “Novorossija” and Moscow’s “reconquering” of South-Eastern Ukraine gained popularity. Ultimately, the failure of the idea of a “Novorossija” is attributable mainly to developments within Ukraine that involved a renegotiation not only of ethno-national allegiances, but also of national and political loyalities since 1991.

Bandits or Terrorists?

The Abu Sayyaf Group between Economic Interests and Religious Ideals

The Abu Sayyaf Group was designated as a terrorist organisation by the U.S. State Department at the end of the 1990s. The Philippine authorities followed suit in September 2015, more than 15 years later. The group made several references to its links to al-Qaeda and the Islamic State. Nonetheless, this article argues against its reckless tagging as an “Islamic terrorist organisation” by some, thereby calling for a more scrupulous approach in dealing with the complex conflict situation on the ground.