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IMAGO / ZUMA Wire

Security alliance AUKUS

A tectonic shift in the strategic balance in the Indo-Pacific?

Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States of America are creating the basis for a new powerful naval power in the Pacific. It can permanently change the balance of power between China and the USA and their Western allies in the Indo-Pacific region. The construction of nuclear-powered attack submarines and the stationing of American and British submarines in Australian harbours will significantly increase the military deterrent potential of the three Western allies. How will the agreement be implemented in practice and what significance does it have for Europe?

Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung e. V.

„Leaving No One Behind?“ – Inklusion in Japan im Stresstest

Inklusion weltweit – Aktueller Stand aus Japan

Der erste Blick auf die Straßen Japans verheißt Gutes: die gelben, gerillt und genoppten Markierungen ziehen sich wie ein stetes Band entlang der Fahr- und Fußwege, entlang an Überquerungen und Bahnsteigen. Fast überall im Land finden Menschen mit eingeschränkter Sehkraft sicher ihren Weg. Wenige wissen, dass diese taktilen oder tastbaren Pflastersteine einst in der Okayama Präfektur erfunden wurden. Erste behindertengerechte Vorkehrungen reichen in Japan sogar 700 Jahre zurück; seh- und gehbehinderte Menschen hatten je nach Art ihrer Arbeit sogar ein Anrecht auf Sänften.

IMAGO / Xinhua

A leap into the unknown

Libertarian Javier Milei is the new president of Argentina

The winner of the run-off election for the office of President of Argentina is Javier Milei. The libertarian candidate from the La Libertad Avanza party, which was only founded two years ago, won a surprisingly clear victory with 55.69% of the vote and a lead of over 11% against the Peronist candidate and incumbent Minister of Economy and Finance Sergio Massa with 44.3%. In the general elections on October 22, the latter had been able to claim first place in the voters' favor with just under 37% of the vote and a 7% lead over Milei. Voter turnout was 76.35% and the proportion of abstentions was lower than expected at 1.55%, with 1.62% of votes being invalid. The Libertarian won in 20 of the 23 provinces and in the autonomous city of Buenos Aires. He probably also owes his clear victory to the support of prominent figures from the conservative Propuesta Republicana (PRO) party. Although their presidential candidate Patricia Bullrich did not make it into the run-off, almost 24% of voters had given her their vote in October. Just three days after the election, both former President Mauricio Macri and Patricia Bullrich publicly spoke out in favor of Milei and against Massa. However, the initial euphoria over the election victory could quickly evaporate, even for the newly elected president, against the backdrop of the enormous challenges, particularly in economic policy.

David Canales / Zuma Press / ContactoPhoto (europa press)

Re-election of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez

Fragile minority government will increase polarization

Pedro Sánchez (PSOE) has been re-elected as Prime Minister of the Spanish government with the help of separatist parties from Catalonia and the Basque Country. He is imposing a high price on Spain for his decision. The country is more divided than ever. The relatively young democracy is in danger of being compromised.

Adobe Stock / Pamela Ranya

Chad - The next candidate for upheaval in the Sahel?

An important partner in the Sudan crisis

Is Chad the next candidate for upheaval in the Sahel? The Central African country looks more stable than Mali, Niger or Burkina Faso. Chad is an important Western ally in a volatile region where Russia has been expanding in its neighbours Libya, Sudan and the Central African Republic and also a key humanitarian hub as some half a million refugees have fled civil war in Sudan. But military president Mahamat Deby has been cracking down on the opposition and delaying elections. He has come also under criticism for working closely with France. So how stable is Chad?

Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung e. V.

Zypern auf dem Weg zur Inklusion

Inklusion weltweit – Aktueller Stand aus Zypern

Ein Teil der Insel Zyperns ist immer noch besetzt. In dem Maße, wie sich die politischen Führer bemühen, eine Lösung in der Zypernfrage zu erreichen, ihren Bürgern wirtschaftlichen Wohlstand zu verschaffen und die europäischen Werte zu unterstützen, bemühen sie sich auch, gesellschaftliche Veränderungen in die sich ständig verändernde Agenda aufzunehmen. Dabei gewinnen die Bedürfnisse und das Alltagsleben von Menschen mit Behinderungen für die Gesellschaft immer mehr an Bedeutung. Hier geben wir einen ersten Überblick über die aktuellen Vorhaben, die das Leben von Menschen mit Behinderungen auf Zypern erleichtern sollen.

Adobe Stock / butenkow

The Art of Crisis Management

The Pandemic Agreement – An Opportunity for Health for all

The pandemic agreement responds to global coordination deficits during the COVID-19 pandemic. It aims to improve preparedness for future pandemics by promoting cooperation without jeopardizing national sovereignty. However, national dissatisfaction could have a negative impact on the negotiations. Fears that national sovereignty or the protection of human rights could be undermined by the pandemic agreement or the World Health Organization (WHO) are unfounded, as national legislative and decision-making processes will remain crucial. Concluding the negotiations by May 2024 is the declared goal, although there are still some points of contention. The realistic concern is that the WHO will end up with insufficient powers and resources and will not produce an effective framework for preventing and responding to future pandemics, rather than becoming a "global health police" with far-reaching powers of intervention. The pandemic agreement should be seen as an opportunity to positively transform lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic into clear and transparent rules to defend against future pandemics.

stock.adobe.com/ink drop

Radicalisation as last resort?

The disorientation in the “climate fight” and the limits of activism in extremism

Climate activism in Germany is in a state of flux. Radicalisation tendencies and links with left-wing extremist elements are leading to political challenges. Groups that focus on confrontational actions are on the rise and climate activist offences are increasing. The link between climate activist groups and left-wing extremism is being monitored more closely by the security authorities. This change requires careful analysis and a differentiated approach in order to assess the potential threat to internal security accordingly.

IMAGO / CHROMORANGE

Local elections in Bulgaria

GERB Strongest force, but with losses

Local elections were held in Bulgaria on 29 October and 5 November. The influential on the local level EPP party GERB (Citizens for the European Development of Bulgaria) suffered losses, but was able to maintain its positions in many places. Its main opponent, the PP-DB coalition ("We Continue the Change" and "Democratic Bulgaria"), in which the left-liberal PP took part in local elections for the first time, received the most votes for the city council in the capital Sofia and will also provide the mayor, but lost votes compared to the parliamentary elections in April 2023.

wikimedia / Gary Todd from Xinzheng CC0

Minimizing the Human Factor

Mongolia's search for the "perfect system"

Is there a "perfect system of government"? How should it be designed to prevent corruption and illegitimate political influence? Can the human factor be eliminated through sophisticated checks and balances? Can a free press and an independent judiciary be replaced by an optimized electoral system and a balanced composition of parliament? Mongolia is trying to answer these questions by once again adapting the election and party laws and amending the constitution. Thirty-three years after the peaceful democratic revolution, the fine-tuning of the Mongolian system of government has still not been completed.