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IMAGO / Scanpix

Crisis Cabinet Kallas III

Government Standstill in Estonia

With a "landslide victory," internationally popular Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas secured a third term in March. But Estonia's growing national debt is forcing the ruling center-left coalition to take unpopular measures. The resulting dispute between the government and the opposition has already paralyzed parliamentary work to such an extent that the government can only get laws through the Riigikogu (Estonian parliament) by means of votes of no confidence. Just when mediation seems possible, it becomes public that the husband of the "Russia hardliner" Kallas maintains business relations with Russia. The Estonian parliament is stuck in a deadlock with unattractive ways out. The Christian conservative Isamaa benefits from strength of content and is at an eight-year high.

Oliver Morwinsky, Andreas Geyer
October 5, 2023
Country Reports
IMAGO / ZUMA Wire

McCarthy voted out - what next?

U.S. press comments on the historic recall of the Speaker of the House of Representatives

For the first time in U.S. history, a Speaker of the House of Representatives was voted out of office: Kevin McCarthy lost the post, eight members of his Republican caucus and all 208 Democrats present voted against him.

Jan Bösche
October 5, 2023
Country Reports
IMAGO / Manuel Winterberger

Tight race in the conservative camp in the National Council elections in Switzerland

The center and FDP are in a neck-and-neck race for the third place in parliament.

On October 22, the Swiss electorate will be called to the polls. This year's parliamentary elections are likely to see a resurgence of the Swiss People's Party (SVP). The right-wing populist party is benefiting from the boom in immigration issues and remains by far the strongest force in polls. The winners of the 2019 elections, the Greens, do not seem to be able to repeat their strong result, and the FDP is also stumbling. The Christian Democratic party "Die Mitte" could benefit from this and is preparing to enter the Swiss parliament as the third strongest force in a historic step.

Cedric Amon, Dr. Anja Maria Rittner, Dr. Nino Galetti
October 2, 2023
Country Reports

Conflict in the Christian Community in Iraq

Internal conflicts of a millennial community

The number of Christians in the Middle East has declined rapidly in recent decades. For example, while around 1.5 million Christians still lived in Iraq after the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003, there are no more than 250,000 today. The reasons for this vary. In particular, armed conflicts and the reign of terror of the so-called Islamic State (IS) in parts of Iraq have intensified the exodus of Iraqi Christians. Even after the end of IS rule, the situation of the Christian community in Iraq, which is one of the oldest in the entire region, is difficult. But in addition to external factors, internal ones are increasingly playing a role: Iraqi Christians are threatened with a split that could lead to the breakup of the community.

Lucas Lamberty
September 28, 2023
Country Reports
Adobe Stock / adonis_abril

Argentina before the elections

The hope for a turnaround

Presidential and parliamentary elections will be held in Argentina on 22 October. The country, which has been plagued by debt and economic crises for decades, seems to have reached a low point in the perception of its citizens, with inflation at 125%, a poverty rate of 44% and a chronic shortage of foreign currency and the accompanying shortage of imported goods. Anger at the traditional political elites who have run down Argentina, once one of the richest countries in the world, is high. The mood before the elections oscillates between desperate, heated and hopeful of "things can only get better" and "things can't get worse". Despite years of hardship, many people still believe that the country, rich in raw materials, natural gas, oil and lithium, can prosper again if properly managed.

Susanne Käss
September 27, 2023
Country Reports
IMAGO / ABACAPRESS

Senate elections 2023:

Confirmation of the bourgeois-conservative camp in the French upper house of parliament

The French Senate, which has been dominated by the bourgeois-conservative camp since the beginning of the Fifth Republic - with the exception of a three-year socialist interlude between 2011 and 2014 - saw no political surprise in the partial elections to the Senate on September 24, 2023. The Républicains (LR), along with their Union centriste allies, retained an absolute majority in the Palais du Luxembourg, the seat of the Senate in Paris. The Union Centriste is a French parliamentary group that unites center and center-right deputies in the Senate. It is currently the third strongest political force in the upper house and unites, among others, the parties Union des démocrates et indépendants, Les Centristes, Parti radical, Alliance centriste, Calédonie ensemble and Tapura huiraatira. Currently, 144 seats (previously 145) are expected for LR and around 60 seats for the Union centriste (previously 57). The final results will be announced on October 3, the deadline for newly elected deputies to join a parliamentary group Senator Gérald Larcher (LR), re-elected for the sixth time, is expected to be reconfirmed in his post as Senate president. The election results of the partial elections can be classified as an indicator of the development of the French party landscape. At the same time, the elections distort the current mood among French voters due to their specific electoral law - while the election says a lot about the traditional and local anchoring of the parties, hardly any or no conclusions can be drawn for the next presidential, parliamentary or European elections.

Anja Czymmeck, Nele Katharina Wissmann
September 26, 2023
Country Reports
Photo: © C. Kaiser, blickwinkel, picture alliance.

Interest-based Policy Rather than a Save-the-World Approach

Why German Development Cooperation with Africa Must Be Reconsidered

Germany’s interests in Africa are self-evident. They range from business and security to political partnership in the context of global systemic rivalry. But is Germany making use of all its options to preserve its interests on the neighbouring continent? The answer to this is: no! Particularly in view of the immense investments that Germany is making in the field of development cooperation, the question must be raised as to whether these investments could not be made in a much more targeted manner – to the benefit of the African partners, but also in our own interest.

Dr. Stefan Friedrich, Mathias Kamp
September 25, 2023
International Reports
IMAGO / Xinhua

First center-left government in Latvia

A change of government with shaky foundations

The new government is in place - albeit with a narrow majority. After the presidential elections in May of this year, a political reshuffle of the government was inevitable. The new president was elected with the votes of the largest opposition party, the Union of Greens and Peasants (ZZS). The fact that a major oligarch is behind the ZZS made the new coalition formation difficult and also poses major challenges for the strongest party, New Unity (JV). In practical terms, this has already become clear in the election of the new speaker of parliament. But this constellation also holds explosive potential politically.

Oliver Morwinsky, Daiga Krieva
September 22, 2023
Country Reports
IMAGO / Zoonar

Church tax in Italian

How do churches and religious communities finance themselves south of the Alps?

Even in the land of the popes, more and more pews remain empty at Sunday Mass. The situation in Italy is not yet as dramatic as in Germany, but the trend is rising. However, in contrast to Germany the church tax cannot be the reason many people are leaving the church, since there is no such thing in Italy. How does the Church finance itself in the supposedly most Catholic country in Europe? Would the Italian model also be suitable for Germany? And how Catholic are the Italians still? We explore these questions in this country report.

Michael Feth, Dr. Nino Galetti
September 21, 2023
Country Reports
Adobe Stock / Elena

Food security in the Middle East and North Africa

Between emergency and pragmatism

Immediately after the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine, the Middle East and North Africa again became the focus of attention. Food security, a hitherto marginal concept in the literature, became the focus of interest for regional and global actors. Fears arose that Europe would have to address the consequences of a renewed stability crisis in its southern periphery in addition to the challenges of conventional state warfare on its eastern flank. The reality, however, is different. The states of the region were able to respond to the crisis not least because of diplomatic flexibility and neutrality. How has the war affected the region? Have the countries of the region pursued strategies of long-term diversification of their food sources? Where are countries now sourcing their grain supplies? What impact can be expected from the recent end of the grain agreement between Russia and Ukraine? With these questions in mind, this compilation focuses on Egypt, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco and Tunisia. These countries were considered particularly vulnerable to food crises. Finally, a regional perspective summarizes the trends regionally and identifies possible solutions.

Michael Bauer, Philipp Burkhardt, Veronika Ertl, Elisabeth Haufler, Steffen Krüger, Dr. Thomas Volk
September 21, 2023
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