Russia´s Iran Policy Against the Background of Tehran´s Nuclear Programme

On June 27 this year, when demonstrators took to the streets of Tehran to vent their fury at the official result of the recent parliamentary elections, the foreign secretaries of NATO and their Russian counterpart, Mr Lavrov, decided to resume work in the NATO-Russia Council. NATO’s leaders have come to appreciate by now that suspending activities was a mistake; it has become clear that solving security-policy problems is impossible without involving the Russian side.

The Importance of Improving African Competitiveness

There are several reasons why Africa should endeavour to improve its competitiveness: to begin with, Africans are not competing against each other for shares in the global market; rather, the continent as a whole should strive to secure its position on the global export and service markets. In this context, it is important to know not only what is happening in one’s own neighbourhood but also what strategies are being pursued by other countries.

The Lake Kivu Consensus

An Agenda for a Competitive Africa

Today, the only way a country can suffer real injustice at the hands of the global economy is by being excluded from it. Reforming for competitiveness has thus emerged as a leading African priority. There is no one path to a competitive economy. But all countries that aspire to a future beyond aid must diagnose and remedy the shortcomings that limit their participation in global trade.

Bolivia’s Constitutional Referendum of 2009 – an Analysis

Very probably, the constitutional referendum of 25 January 2009 is an outstanding event in the history of the domestic policy of crisis-ridden Bolivia after Evo Morales assumed the office of president.

Editorial

Ausgabe 4/2009 der Auslandsinformationen der Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung

South Africa After the Elections

The ruling ANC party once again emerged victorious from South Africa’s fourth democratic elections which were held on April 22 of this year. Having won 65.9 percent of the vote, it missed the two-thirds majority in parliament by a very narrow margin.

South Africa‘s Foreign Policy in the Post-Mbeki-Era

While South Africa was the apple of the world’s eye in the years after 1994, the Mbeki era and even more so the post-Mbeki era face fundamental challenges to which the ANC will have to respond.

South Africa‘s Media – Between Free Reporting and Political Interference

South Africa’s media landscape is highly developed, diversified, and even free. Although attempts to interfere are made again and again, freedom of opinion has never been threatened in its foundations so far. On the one hand, the media are ever ready to defend themselves, not least because of their experience under the rule of apartheid. On the other, civil society in South Africa is wide awake and sensitive to the problem. The fact that media coverage is dominated by the ruling party throws at least a shadow on the freedom of the media.

Ten Years of Democratization – an Atmospheric Picture of Nigeria

Nigeria will celebrate the tenth anniversary of the introduction of democracy late in May this year and the 50th anniversary of independence next year.

Cracks in the Anchor.S ub-Saharan Africa Needs a Strong South Africa

Subsahara-Afrika braucht ein starkes Südafrika

Sub-Saharan Africa, marred by genocides, wars, and a death toll of several millions, has been regarded as the region’s crisis hotspot ever since the end of the Cold War. Until the beginning of 2009, six UN Blue Helmet missions had been deployed in the region; more than half of all UN security resolutions focused on the problems of sub-Saharan Africa.