Cyber Capabilities as a New Resource of Power

Conflicts in the Digital Sphere

Cyber capabilities are becoming increasingly important in international relations. States with the ability to conduct cyber operations are in a strong position to expand their scope of influence in the international arena. This is particularly true for small and medium-sized countries with few traditional power resources, as cyber capabilities allow them to seriously weaken more powerful states.

Das Kosovo hat eine Präsidentin: Eine Chance für politische Stabilität

Die ehemalige KAS-Stipendiatin Vjosa Osmani wurde zur neuen Präsidentin des Kosovos gewählt. Nach dem Rücktritt Präsident Hashim Thaçis im vergangenem Jahr aufgrund einer Anklage in Den Haag, war sie bereits als Parlamentspräsidentin geschäftsführend im Amt.

Eskalation in der Ostukraine

Verschärfte Sicherheitslage im russisch-ukrainischen Konflikt

Im Konflikt zwischen der Ukraine und den von Russland unterstützten Separatisten gibt es auch nach sieben Jahren keine Perspektive auf eine stabile Friedenslösung. Während in den letzten Monaten Waffenruhe herrschte, sind nun erneut intensive Gefechte zwischen den Konfliktparteien ausgebrochen. Die Entwicklungen sind beunruhigend, aber keineswegs ungewöhnlich. Seit 2014 hat der Konflikt mehr als 13.000 Menschenleben gekostet, große Teile der ukrainischen Regionen Luhansk und Donezk sind zerstört und immer wieder kam es in den letzten Jahren zu beträchtlichen militärischen Konfrontationen.

It’s Time to Reshape the West!

“America is back!”: With US President Joe Biden, there is now potential for an ambitious transatlantic policy. We should devote all our energy to reforging the alliance between Europe and the US. Anything else would be fatal, as disunity in the West only plays into the hands of our systemic rivals China and Russia. What do we need to do right now?

Of Bridges and Gateways

Turkey’s Regional Power Aspirations

The bridge to Asia. A gateway to the Middle East and Europe. For centuries, Turkey has been considered a country linking the Western and Eastern worlds. Whether that be due to Turkish military bases used by ­NATO as bridgeheads to the Middle East, or the threats made by its president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to “open the gates” to Europe for the millions of refugees accommodated by Turkey, ­NATO member and EU candidate Turkey has been increasingly presenting the Western alliance with a fait accompli over recent years.

Outdated Elites, New Sense of Identity

Leaderless Revolutions and the ­­­Crisis of Arab Authorities

Ten years after the onset of the “Arab Spring”, cracks are appearing again in the autocratic façade of the Middle East and North Africa. However, the struggle to find an alternative to the ruling elite has failed due to the lack of organised political parties capable of translating anger on the streets into constructive political participation.

Security Policy in the Indo-Pacific

How Can Germany Turn its Words into Deeds?

In its new “Policy guidelines for the Indo-Pacific”, the German government commits to assuming greater responsibility for foreign policy to address shifts in the global balance of power and regional challenges. But what exactly could an ambitious Indo-Pacific policy look like? And what does the region expect of Germany? An analysis based on the examples of India, Japan, and Singapore.

The Art of Making Friends

How the Chinese Communist Party Seduces Political Parties in Latin America

China is increasingly turning its attention to Latin America’s political parties. Beijing is using lavish official visits and ­diplomatic pressure to yoke Latin American party officials ­to its geopolitical ambitions. Without critical public debate, the rhetoric of bilateral “friendship” threatens to undermine democracy in Latin America. Any belief that the Chinese Communist Party will engage in an equal dialogue with Latin America’s democratic parties remains a dangerous illusion.

Will ­COVID-19 Accelerate a Global Power Shift?

China’s Growing Ideological Influence in Africa

The fight against the ­COVID-19 pandemic is not only a fight against ­SARS-CoV-2 but also part of the rivalry to dominate the global narrative and to exert political and economic influence. Particularly in light of the worsening relations between China and the US, management of the pandemic and respective policy successes or failures are becoming political issues. Accordingly, the Chinese Communist Party (­CCP) is using the pandemic on an ideological level to drive the shift in global power – with a particular focus on Africa.

Countering the Corrupt

This book pulls together the themes discussed at four conferences on the fight against corruption in Africa which were held between 2014 and 2018 and which were organised by the KAS' Rule of Law Program for Sub Saharan Africa and the Institute for Accountability in Southern Africa. The book endeavours to share with the readers, the gist of those discussions in ‘a digestible and easily accessible format’.