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We asked the National Security Policy Center at the University of Virginia to take a closer look at threat perception and deterrence following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. They observe: "Given the complexity of the current strategic environment – and the West’s lethargic response to it – there is a need to refine our approach to risk in the context of deterrence."
Against the backdrop of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, energy supply security has become a new priority, as a result of which bioenergy is also attracting greater attention again as a domestic energy source. Key framework conditions for bioenergy are changing this year due to a series of changes in legislation, such as the amendment of the German Building Energy Act (Gebäudeenergiegesetz), the German Renewable Energy Act (Erneuerbare-Energien-Gesetz) and the European Renewable Energy Directive.
Max Gruenig is a Senior Policy Advisor at the E3G Washington Office. We asked him to gather initial evidence of impacts of the Inflation Reduction Act on cleantech trade and investment. One of his conclusions: “Overall, the IRA is expected to only have a marginal impact on the transatlantic economy, while contributing to the decarbonization in the US and, by extension, the global transition to net zero.”
Vertrauen ist kein abstraktes Konzept, sondern wirkt sich auf unser tägliches Leben und dessen Qualität aus. Geringes Vertrauen hat negative Auswirkungen auf die Wirtschaft und den Zustand unseres Geldbeutels, auf die Sicherheit auf den Straßen, auf Korruption und Vetternwirtschaft, auf die subjektive Lebenszufriedenheit, auf den Zusammenhalt der Gemeinschaft und nicht zuletzt auf unsere Fähigkeit, wirksam auf Krisen zu reagieren.
Francophone West and Central Africa are in further turmoil. After five military coups in the last three years (Mali, Chad, Guinea, Burkina Faso, Niger), the military also took power in Gabon at the end of August 2023. Is this military coup in Gabon also a result of recent anti-democratic developments in sub-saharan Africa, or can it be seen in a different light?
A look at the past 50 years shows that Germany can successfully set a course: as a non-permanent member of the Security Council, through its membership in the Human Rights Council as well as in other UN bodies. The Namibia Initiative, the mediation between Iran and Iraq in the 1980s, participation in peace and stabilization missions, advocacy for the International Criminal Court or support for a special Ukraine-Tribunal, are all important steps to make the future on this planet safer, more peaceful, and sustainable.
Jordan wants to enable more political participation and strengthen parliamentarism. The legal course has been set. At the same time, the scope for critical expression of opinion is narrowing, most recently as a result of a new law to combat cybercrime. But the country's modernization can only succeed if the state has confidence in its citizens.
Just days after Israel's President Isaac Herzog reassured the Biden administration about the state of democracy in Israel and praised the importance of bilateral relations with the US in his speech before the US Congress, the Knesset passed a portion of the controversial judicial reform shortly before its parliamentary summer break in late July. The debates surrounding the reform, which its opponents view as a threat to the democratic nature of the state, along with protests from various groups, have significantly heightened societal polarization in Israel over the past few months. Additionally, security experts have increasingly warned of risks to Israel's internal and external security. These concerns were seemingly confirmed when, in the course of the last few weeks, more and more reservists declared their refusal to serve - in protest against the government's plans. Fears of a progressive erosion of social cohesion and consequently diminishing national resilience, which is considered by Israelis as an essential component of both internal and external security, are finding their foreign and security policy equivalent in the tense security situation on Israel's northern border, an escalating spiral of violence between Israelis and Palestinians, a more aggressive settlement policy under the current government, as well as closed doors for Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington and in the Arab Gulf. Israel's Prime Minister, who in the past was attested by supporters and opponents alike to have an excellent sense of foreign and security policy – often referred to as "Mr. Security" – has propelled himself into a predicament in this area as well; his hardline political coalition partners have played a not inconsiderable role in this. An overview of the current regional foreign and security policy developments highlights the various areas of tension.
Besides the Taiwan issue, the South China Sea is currently the geopolitical hotspot in the Indo-Pacific. China's ultimate claim to nearly 90 percent of the sea area is causing territorial disputes with Southeast Asian littoral states and fueling tensions with power rival the United States in the region.
Russia's expanded and unprovoked war of aggression against Ukraine since February 2022 continues to determine NATO's course. While the response to the vaguely formulated Ukrainian membership perspective in NATO varied widely after the recent summit in Vilnius, the allies' positioning against Russia's aggression is supported by a broad consensus. Both, the measures agreed upon by the allies in the summits' communiqué and further bilateral agreements reached in recent months, leave no doubt: NATO partners stand together.
