Articles

Powerless against Digital Hate

African Societies and Social Networks

Social media open up unprecedented communication oppor­tunities in Africa. At the same time, they exacerbate conflicts, such as the one in Ethiopia. Facebook, just ahead of TikTok as the most important social network on the continent, is inadequately performing its moderating and supervising duties. In the same way, most states do not protect their citizens from digital attacks or surveillance. The negligence of these governments, which have a greater interest in surveillance than in protecting their own people, is turning the continent into a huge test lab for companies in Palo Alto and Shanghai. Technologically, Europe has little to oppose these trends with.

Kenya’s Supreme Court Writes a Further Chapter in the History of the Rule of Law in Africa

The Failure of President Kenyatta’s Building Bridges Initiative

Kenya’s Supreme Court has halted a project through which the head of state had sought to amend key elements of the country’s Constitution. The fact that the Supreme Court judges did not go as far as the lower courts in certain aspects of their ruling has disappointed some. Nonetheless, the glass is not half empty but at least half full when it comes to judicial independence in the East African country.

Neue Normalität im Nahen Osten?

Israel im Spannungsfeld zwischen regionalen Allianzen und globalen Machtverschiebungen

Über Jahre waren die zwischenstaatlichen Beziehungen in der Region Nahost geprägt von ideologischen Interessen, die oft zur Konfrontation führten. Doch in jüngerer Zeit ist Bewegung in dieses Szenario gekommen. Alte Frontstellungen scheinen sich langsam aufzulösen und wirtschaftspolitischer Pragmatismus die Oberhand zu gewinnen. Einer der zentralen Akteure auf dem Weg zu einer möglichen neuen Normalität im Nahen Osten ist Israel.

Russlands sharp power in Lateinamerika

Die Region im Visier der autokratischen Internationale

Die weltweit mächtigsten autokratischen Staaten beeinflussen aktiv das politische und wirtschaftliche Umfeld in Lateinamerika. Die Unterstützung und Einflussnahme von Mächten wie Russland trifft dabei auf Regierungen und Gesellschaften, die durch politische Polarisierung, illiberalen Nationalismus und die Einschränkung der Rechtsstaatlichkeit fruchtbaren Boden für eine Stärkung autoritärer Ideen bieten. Entsprechend hat Moskau die Anerkennung und gegenseitige Stärkung illiberaler Regime unterstützt und die Werte seiner politischen Weltanschauung verbreitet. Was aber bedeutet der russische Angriff auf die Ukraine für diese illiberalen Allianzen?

Starke Kandidaten, schwache Parteien?

Frankreich vor den Wahlen

In Frankreich steht die Präsidentschaftswahl an, kurz danach entscheiden die Bürger über die Zusammensetzung der National­versammlung. Im Gespräch mit den Auslandsinformationen erläutern Caroline Kanter und Nele Wissmann, wie der Krieg in der Ukraine den Wahlkampf beeinflusst, vor welchen Herausforderungen das bürgerlich-konservative Lager steht und warum Präsident Emmanuel Macron die gesellschaftlichen Gräben in Frankreich nicht hat überwinden können.

Investigative Journalists in Bulgaria

An Endangered Species?

Although investigative journalism still exists in Bulgaria, it is on the decline. Over the last few years, this EU country has been steadily sliding down the press freedom rankings. Investigative journalism is often misused for image purposes, and alternative investigations conducted outside traditional newsrooms and in civil society groups raise questions about adherence to professional standards. Restoring trust in the media and solidarity among journalists is no easy task. The motivation to conduct investigative research is also dwindling because the Bulgarian judiciary often simply ignores journalistic revelations.

“I Miss Political Leadership”

Afghanistan and the Security Challenges of the Future

In an interview with International Reports, political scientist Carlo Masala speaks about lessons learnt from Afghanistan, China’s desire for hegemony, and a new understanding of defence – while also explaining why German politics should be less guided by popular sentiment.

“It Is a Geopolitical Urgency that the Sahel Be Made a Paradise”

Lessons from Afghanistan for German Policy-making in the Sahel

Will Mali become the new Afghanistan? If it were up to Iyad Ag Ghaly, the leader of the al-Qaeda group in the Sahel, that is precisely what we could expect. Even before Kabul had fallen completely to the Taliban, he congratulated his Afghani brothers-in-arms with the words “We are winning. Our hour has come.” But even in political Berlin, many wonder what the West’s hasty withdrawal from Kabul means for its involvement in the Sahel. The context of this question: Now the Afghanistan mission has ended, the mission to Mali is by far the largest for the German Bundes­wehr. But to what extent can we even compare the two missions? And, despite their pronounced differences, are there lessons from Afghanistan that can be applied to Mali and the Sahel – for the Bundeswehr mission and for the direction of German (development) policy-making? A central difference between Afghanistan and the Sahel is clear to see: Western failure in the Sahel would have a far more direct impact on Germany and Europe than its failure in Afghanistan.

Editorial of the issue "In Retreat? Western Security Policy after Afghanistan"

“Debacle”, “tragedy”, “political caesura”, “end of an era” – these are just some of the reactions by high-ranking politicians to the withdrawal of NATO troops from Afghani­stan in the summer of 2021. These words illustrate the sense of outrage at how the 20-year engagement in the Hindu Kush came to an end, while also pointing to the profound consequences for Western foreign policy as a whole. In this sense, Afghanistan is far more than “just” a mission with a disastrous ending. Rather, the events raise fundamental questions about how the West perceives its foreign policy and the future strategic direction of security and defence policy. That also applies to the debate about pros and cons of deploying troops abroad and of international interventions. The answers to these questions will have to be accompanied by concrete actions and changes.

From the Hindu Kush Back to the North European Plain

German Security and Defence Policy after Afghanistan

Following the disastrous final chapter of Germany’s engagement at the Hindu Kush in the summer of 2021, German security policy should finally focus on what has long been recognised as the primary threat to Germany’s interests and, moreover, what is expected and demanded by its allies. Only the Federal Republic can bear the burden of conventional defence in Central Eastern and Northern Europe and act as the backbone of NATO’s (non-nuclear) deterrent against Russia. To this end, the Bundeswehr must – within a few years – restore its lost capability for comprehensive national and collective defence.