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KAS
The development of nihilistic violence
Terrorism without a goal?
Nihilistic violent extremism (NVE) is a violent scene that has been growing since the second half of the 2010s. Members of the community reject civil society values, have a misanthropic worldview, communicate primarily via online platforms and are internationally networked. Children and adolescents can be both perpetrators and victims and switch between these roles.
Felix Neumann
January 8, 2026
Single title
smarterpix / AndreyPopov
Delivering Results: What Makes Governing Effective – and What Doesn’t
Impact over input – delivery units as key to better government outcomes
Governments must deliver – but passing laws and approving budgets aren’t enough. In Germany’s federal system, fragmented responsibilities and complex coordination often slow implementation. This Monitor calls for impact-driven governance: clear goals, indicators, and agile delivery units embedded in the Chancellery and State or Senate Chancelleries. These teams track priorities, remove obstacles, and ensure transparency across ministries – turning promises into measurable results.
Marcel Schepp, Felipe Hinrichsen
January 8, 2026
Monitor
KI-generiert mit ChatGPT, Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung e. V.
Breaking Free from the Polarization Trap!
Clear on substance, fair in tone: Campaign strategies between democratic polarization and populist temptations
The author analyses the growing fragmentation and polarization in Germany’s party system and outlines ways for parties to build a strong profile without undermining the democratic consensus. He distinguishes between productive democratic polarization and destructive affective polarization. Recommended campaign strategies include clear core messages, a respectful engagement with competitors, distancing from extremist parties, and positive, authentic candidate profiling.
Dr. L. Constantin Wurthmann
January 8, 2026
Monitor
Politische Bildung für die Bundeswehr
#Programm 2026
Für die Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung ist es ein wichtiges Anliegen, den Auftrag der Bundeswehr als Rückgrat unserer freiheitlichen Demokratie zu unterstützen. Hier unser Programm für das Jahr 2026.
Dr. Cedric Bierganns
January 1, 2026
Single title
Summary of OpenGov for Citizen
In collaboration with the Office of the Public Sector Development Commission (OPDC) since 2023
This e-Book compiles proposals and results from all four “OpenGov for Citizen” events, covering a variety of policy schemes, including the development of policies to support the cost of living, welfare and quality of life for the elderly, the restoration and conservation of green spaces, the reduction of carbon emissions from industrial sectors and marine waste management.
December 23, 2025
Single title
IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire
The new US security strategy and its consequences for Latin America and Europe
‘America for Americans’?
With the National Security Strategy (NSS) of November 2025, the US government is implementing a far-reaching change of course and once again claiming the Western Hemisphere, which encompasses the American double continent, as its exclusive sphere of influence. In doing so, it is following on from the Monroe Doctrine of 1823, which did not tolerate any non-American interference in the affairs of the entire continent. The message is unambiguous: ‘non-hemispheric’ powers – primarily China and Russia – should neither possess strategic installations nor be able to establish military or technological capabilities in the region. At the same time, the hemisphere should be so stable and well governed that there is no mass migration to the US, the fight against drug trafficking and transnational crime is successful, and the region is politically favourable to Washington. These goals are set out in detail in the original text of the NSS, where they are referred to as the ‘Trump Corollary’ to the Monroe Doctrine, supplemented by the operational motto ‘Enlist and Expand’: involve proven partners and expand new cooperation, both economically and in terms of security policy. With its military intervention in Venezuela on 3 January 2026, the Trump administration is showing the world how serious it is about its goals in the Western Hemisphere.
Henning Suhr
December 22, 2025
Country reports
IMAGO / Peter Homann
Youth protests against military service
Use school strikes against compulsory military service as a starting point for dialogue
After schoolchildren across Germany took to the streets in early December 2025 to protest against compulsory military service, politicians must not respond with rejection. They must openly address the concerns and needs of the younger generation. Only if young people are involved will measures such as the Military Service Modernisation Act or a potential community service find acceptance.
Martin Bieber
December 18, 2025
kurzum
IMAGO / Anadolu Agency
Morocco's Youth Before the 2026 Election
Between Lack of Political Participation and New Forms of Engagement
Elections will be held in Morocco in September 2026. The political activities are gradually geared towards the elections. Protests by young adults a year before the elections have once again increased the nervousness of the established parties. Frustration and a lack of development opportunities are repeatedly mentioned, although the country is facing positive economic development. But success seems to be insufficiently received by the young population. The result seems to be frustration and mistrust of parliamentary structures. By 31 December 2025, first-time voters must have registered on the electoral lists to participate in the elections. The four million first-time voters make up about 15 percent of the population eligible to vote and could thus become an important factor.
Steven Höfner, Matilda Giaccone, Ilias Bennoune
December 18, 2025
Country reports
Collected Essays on the Development of Subdistrict Administrative Organizations
Decentralization and Policy Recommendations from the academic forum
Subdistrict Administrative Organizations (SAOs) are key grassroots local governments improving rural quality of life in Thailand through public services, infrastructure, health, environmental management, and local economic development. As SAO executives and councils complete their terms and approach new elections in January 2026, this transition offers a timely opportunity to reassess their roles amid changing political, economic, and social conditions, especially regarding decentralisation, central–local relations, and citizen participation.
December 18, 2025
Single title
Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung e. V.
From research to business: Innovation transfer in Germany
Status, international best practices and perspectives
Economic innovation processes are based on the constant exchange of new knowledge, ideas, technical and organisational expertise that is suitable for commercial exploitation. Both the emergence and diffusion of innovations require extensive networks of different actors – companies, universities, research institutions – who are involved in generating knowledge for innovations, translating this knowledge into marketable innovations, further developing their products and disseminating them as part of their economic activities.
