Visit us also at
Para avanzar en la construcción de democracias plenas debemos dejar de limitarnos a aceptar con resignación nuestras prácticas e instituciones actuales. No hay nada de natural ni de inexorable en la política tal como la conocemos hoy. Los intelectuales están convocados al foro para dejar su testimonio. Las ciencias sociales, en general, especialmente la ciencia política, están demasiado orientadas a buscar explicaciones sobre lo que existe y muy poco orientadas a elaborar soluciones. Hay que recuperar o, mejor dicho, seguir recuperando el espíritu crítico y volver a desarrollar la reflexión normativa.
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.
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.
This new report, authored by the Center for Democracy and Technology (CDT), discusses emerging questions about researcher access to data accumulated by social media platforms. It describes regulatory approaches from Europe as well as the US and also looks at privacy rights, researcher vetting standards and limits to access to such data.
Traditionally, the relevant Canadian polling institutes present the results of their most important, latest surveys at the beginning of the year. They serve as a barometer of the population's mood on key issues for the coming twelve months. At the beginning of 2023, probably the most important finding from the wealth of data is that Canadians feel that they and their country are in a permanent crisis. The reasons for this are manifold and have both geopolitical and domestic political backgrounds. Politicians seem to have failed so far to effectively counter the pessimistic trend, neither through people nor through policy designs. However, the survey results also contain some paradoxes.
In a representative survey, attitudes towards the perception of gender equality, stereotypes and gender roles were examined in Germany, Italy, Croatia, Poland and Sweden. The study shows the perspectives of different national populations on women's representation and participation. The results enable classifications, comparisons and conclusions on strengthening the role of women in politics and society.
There was no lack of dire prophecies when the Fratelli d'Italia under Giorgia Meloni, which emerged from neo-fascist movements, clearly won the parliamentary elections on 25 September 2022. But in the first 100 days since taking office, the new right-wing government has been emphatically moderate. Not a few had expected Prime Minister Meloni to slip at the first opportunity on the international stage. But it is not only her outward appearance that has become very smooth. Thematically, she never misses an opportunity to make a clear commitment to Italy's obligations in NATO and the EU. On the subject of Ukraine, Rome is in the front line. And the scandal with France over the landing of refugee ships remained a single anti-European uproar. Without any ambiguity, Meloni has clearly distanced herself from the neo-fascist roots of her party on several occasions and has condemned Mussolini's racial laws, which led to the deportation of Jewish Italians to the extermination camps from 1943 onwards. In opinion polls, the Fratelli d'Italia are currently at 30-32 per cent. And more and more observers are wondering whether Meloni wants to move her hitherto strictly nationalist party to the centre-right in order to lead a new conservative party in Italy in the future.
The Russian war against Ukraine has brought the need for a Bundeswehr ready for operations to the public's attention. Besides a debate on equipment, there is also a need to address the digital transformation of the armed forces and the technological developments of the 21st century. In particular, the use of artificial intelligence (AI) interrogates the German armed forces and German society on the extent to which AI can and should be used militarily. What are the possibilities and limits? How should the autonomy of weapon systems be dealt with in the future, and what role do soldiers play in this?
After the peaceful inauguration of President Luiz Inácio "Lula" da Silva (Partido dos Trabalhadores, PT) on 01 January 2023, the "return to democracy" was overshadowed by violent terrorist attacks on Brazil's democratic institutions. However, even though the buildings and installations have been vandalised by extremists, their functioning has so far remained unaffected. Lula now faces the challenge of continuing to guarantee public security, overcoming polarisation, targeting extremism and implementing his government plans despite the minority in Congress and budget constraints. In this, the international community is backing him. But even though many embraced him joyfully after his inauguration, relieved about the change of government, one has to ask whether the enthusiasm still lasts when it comes to topics such as Ukraine or the EU-Mercosul agreement.
Am 30. Dezember 2022 beschloss die Nationalversammlung Venezuelas von 2015, laut eigenem Verständnis weiterhin das legitime Parlament, die Beendigung der Interimsregierung um Juan Guaidó. Mit Abschaffung der fast vierjährigen Interimsregierung trägt die Opposition den mangelnden Erfolgen dieses Instruments sowie den geänderten Realitäten im In- und Ausland Rechnung und geht in eine neue Etappe. Das Bündnis Plataforma Unitaria (Einheitsplattform), die Vertretung der Opposition im sogenannten Mexiko-Dialog mit der Regierung, und weitere oppositionelle Kräfte gewinnen nach Ende der Interimspräsidentschaft an Bedeutung. Für die Opposition gilt es, im Mexiko-Dialog neben Maßnahmen zur Verbesserung der humanitären Lage die bestmöglichen Bedingungen für die Präsidentschaftswahlen im Jahr 2024 auszuhandeln.
