Country Reports

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.

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.

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.

ASEAN Matters

Indonesia's chairmanship as an opportunity for more European involvement in the region

Indonesia took over the chairmanship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) at the beginning of the year. With the unresolved conflict in Myanmar and Timor-Leste's accession process to ASEAN launched in 2022, the Indonesian chairmanship faces two major construction sites at once. But the elephant in the room is China's increasingly challenging role in the region. Germany and the EU also have a role to play here.

Who will succeed Anastasiadis?

Cyprus before the election

A divided island forever? A new president is elected in Cyprus. The result could bring new momentum to the solution of the Cyprus issues. An overview.

The Polish opposition ahead of the 2023 parliamentary elections: How likely are political changes in Warsaw?

If the opposition does not reconcile and move forward together in the upcoming elections then it could give PiS the opportunity for a third term in office.

Voter’s in Germany’s largest eastern neighbour will be called to the polls this autumn. This election will decide on both chambers of parliament, the Sejm and the Senate. The opposition parties see this as a chance to vote out the PiS-led national conservative government. Although the year has only just begun, Poland’s focus is centered on the upcoming election campaign and the possibility of a change in power. Against this background, the analysis focuses on the polish opposition and explores scenarios for internal cooperation.

The Palestinian territories in the face of Israel's new ultra-right government

The new Israeli government and its agenda in the West Bank

The changes for Palestinians under the new government of Benjamin Netanyahu and his ultra-right alliance became apparent within days after taking office: The visit of Israel's new Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben Gvir, to the Haram al-Sharif / Temple Mount was a signal that the course of the new ultra-right government denies the Palestinian population any territorial rights. Settlement construction in the Palestinian territories is not only to continue, but to be significantly expanded. These measures are being met by an increasingly frustrated Palestinian population having no real prospects for the future, while violence is on the rise.

Sports for Development

The EU-Project together for peace and its innovative engagement measures

This article provides a brief overview of the current activities in the European Union project Together for peace in Zanzibar. Spanning from the so-called sports for development approach to the encouragement of political dialogue, it connects the population politically, socially and physically in multi-dimensional inclusion efforts.

Islamist Terrorism After The Taliban Takeover

Impacts on Afghanistan and its region

With the Taliban taking power in August 2021, the withdrawal of foreign forces and the flight of the Ghani government abroad, decades of war in Afghanistan came to an end. However, terrorist attacks by jihadist groups, especially the local branch of the Islamic State, ISKP, are steadily increasing. At the same time, the humanitarian, economic and political situation has deteriorated significantly, leaving the Afghan people in a state of insecurity and hopelessness.

Romania is getting well through the winter. But what else is going on in the energy policy?

At first glance, Romania is a model student in terms of energy policy compared with other EU countries, but there are also shortcomings.

Low dependence on Russian gas, full natural gas storage facilities, balanced energy mix in production. At first glance, Romania is a model pupil in terms of energy policy compared to the EU and can easily bridge this difficult winter in terms of energy. But there are also deficits. Above all, there is a strong need to expand the electricity supply. If new investments are not made or progress is too slow, the situation in Romania can quickly deteriorate.