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Earlier this month, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier warned against an assault on civil society and academic freedom in the heart of Europe. “Europe must raise its voice,” he declared. He was referring specifically to the predicament of the Central European University (CEU) in Budapest. The…

There has been a lot of talk about ‘big data.’ What does that mean in China? Well, big data is everywhere in China, from finance to governance. Nowadays if you talk to Chinese entrepreneurs and government officials, they will constantly drop this word into the conversation. It is a buzzword in China…

Turkey and the EU are brandishing their knives in the run-up to the Turkish referendum. Ahead of the April 16 plebiscite, in which Erdogan hopes to pass sweeping constitutional reforms to cement his authoritarian rule, he has taken to rallying abroad. To secure the vote, he is complementing his…

In der Beziehung zwischen der Türkei und der EU herrschen gegenwärtig goldene Zeiten für Marktschreier. Bei den letzten Schritten seiner Transformation in einen lupenreinen Autokraten fühlt sich Erdogan seiner Machtbasis so unsicher, dass er neben innenpolitischer Repression auch auf beständige…

Last month, INTERPOL cybercrime experts travelled to Sri Lanka to advise local police officers on cybercrime investigations and the development of digital forensics capabilities. Similar workshops have slowly been set up in various countries where digital infrastructures are being developed, and…

Mit dem Giftgasangriff vom Dienstag hat die Gewalt in Syrien einen weiteren Höhepunkt erreicht. Mindestens 72 Menschen starben bei dem Angriff, darunter 20 Kinder. Seit Ausbruch des Bürgerkrieges im März 2011 dokumentieren Menschenrechtsorganisationen die Verbrechen des Assad-Regimes und anderer…

Today’s news from Syria, where an apparent chemical weapons attack has taken the lives of dozens of civilians (including children), reminds us once again of the desperate need for justice for those who have suffered atrocities in that country’s civil war. Yet there are grounds for hope. Last month,…

Bundespräsident Frank-Walter Steinmeier mahnte am Dienstag, Europa dürfe „nicht schweigen, wenn der Zivilgesellschaft, selbst der Wissenschaft – wie jetzt an der Central European University (CEU) in Budapest – die Luft zum Atmen genommen werden soll.“ In einer in der EU bislang beispiellosen Attacke…

BT: Herr Benner, was hat den globalen Siegeszug der liberalen Demokratie, an den man in den 90er Jahren glaubte, gestoppt? Thorsten Benner: Liberale Demokratie heißt Gewaltenteilung, Rechtsstaat und Minderheitenrechte, Dauerwettstreit der Interessengruppen. All das setzt politische Eliten voraus,…

Badisches Tagblatt: What has stopped the global spread of liberal democracy that many hoped for and expected in the 1990s? Thorsten Benner: Liberal democracy means separation of powers, rule of law, minority rights, and a permanent contest of interest groups. All this presupposes political elites…

The 2017 election season has barely begun, but foreign policy is already caught up in politics. It all started with President Trump’s demands for higher military spending and a rhetorical gaffe by Jens Spahn, a deputy minister of finance from Angela Merkel’s CDU party, who said the country should…

Kaum geht der Wahlkampf los, schon ist die Außenpolitik mitten drin. Auslöser sind Trumps Forderung nach höheren Rüstungsausgaben und der rhetorische Patzer des CDU-Staatssekretärs Jens Spahn, der lieber in Waffen als in Sozialleistungen investieren möchte. So ein Elfmeter ist schnell verwandelt.…

The collapse of democratic forms of government is still most commonly associated with violent coups, military juntas, or civil war. If current trends persist however, democracies could increasingly fall apart without any of these martial displays. Paradoxically, autocracies could be ushered in…

“This is not your world,” they want us to know, “and history is not moving in your direction. You will have to reckon with us.” Five years ago, this is how Michael Ignatieff described Russia and China’s message to the West, a message issued in the way they dealt with the Syrian Civil War in the UN…

Abstract The Indian Ocean today is critical for the future of the EU and India. The rise of piracy in the late 2000s demonstrated the pernicious effect non-traditional security threats can have on European and Indian economic growth prospects. While both aim to ensure a rules-based order,…

Der kanadische Publizist Michael Ignatieff beschrieb die Botschaft Russlands und Chinas an den Westen vor fünf Jahren so: "Dies ist nicht eure Welt, lassen sie uns wissen, und die Geschichte bewegt sich nicht in eure Richtung. Ihr werdet mit uns rechnen müssen“. Anlass war der Umgang im UN-…

New technologies are creating both opportunity and danger for human rights activists. Social media platforms, anonymization and encryptions tools, and widespread internet access are empowering activists to exchange ideas, document abuses, and disseminate information to wider audiences. On the flip…

Abstract With possible United States retrenchment and a growing number of conflicts, both the European Union and India are set to play a greater role in securing their overlapping extended neighborhoods. Crisis management, stabilization, and peacebuilding will play a central role in these endeavors,…

United Nations entities have long entered into multi-stakeholder partnerships with companies and civil society organizations. However, concerns about transparency, accountability, and effectiveness have prompted new discussions about the potential need for greater intergovernmental oversight over…