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Publication type: Article

Important Work to Protect Democracies is Happening Locally

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The report argues that democracy is best protected through local action rather than national politics alone. Across North America and Europe, cities, schools, community organizations, and local leaders are strengthening democratic resilience by fostering civic participation, trust, and inclusion. It introduces the concept of “democratic frontsliding”—proactively reinforcing democratic institutions before they erode—and highlights Budapest’s defense …

It is time for a Northern-European-Canadian Community

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In her article, Cécile Pelaudeix argues that the Arctic is entering a new geopolitical era marked by growing great-power competition, security concerns, and shifting international alliances. She highlights China’s increasing presence in the region through initiatives such as the Polar Silk Road, alongside Russia’s continued strategic influence. According to Pelaudeix, existing institutions, particularly the Arctic …

The EU Green Deal and Renewable Energy Transitions in Europe–Africa Relations: A Synthesis of Complexities and Geopolitics

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The EU Green Deal (EGD) is transforming Europe–Africa relations by moving away from historical patterns of exploitation toward equitable collaboration in renewable energy. By fostering co-ownership and co-creation of clean energy technologies, the EGD aligns with Africa’s development goals, offering stable, low-carbon energy initiatives less vulnerable to market shocks. However, the rise of far-right political …

Sub-National Diplomacy: Alternative Pathways to Stability and Conflict Transformation in Nigeria and Pakistan

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The traditional rulers in Nigeria and customary forums such as Jirgas in Pakistan function as hybrid governance institutions that mediate between state authority, local communities, and constitutional norms, asking how they sustain legitimacy and accountability in fragile democracies while delivering justice and managing conflict. The research uses a comparative qualitative approach that analyses policy documents, …

Masculine hierarchies in migrant homosocial workspaces: dominating and subordinating masculinities of Tajik labour migrants in Russia

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This article analyzes how masculinity practices transform in homosocial workspaces of labour migrants. Drawing on extensive fieldwork in Russia and Tajikistan, the article scrutinises the experiences of Tajik migrant men who work in the largely informal construction sector in Russia. Their interactions are thus embedded in this country’s capitalist system, as well as ist migration …

Midwestern Leaders Study Tour 2025

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The Midwestern Leaders Study Tour 2025 brought US Midwest leaders Steve Patterson, Anne Mervenne, Kent Smith, Ryan Sorenson, and Martina Guzmán together with German counterparts to tackle industrial and climate transitions. Led by John Austin, Fellow at the Academy of International Affairs NRW, the delegation launched at the Summer Academy in Bonn. Through subnational diplomacy, …

The EU and the US after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine: a new convergence on strategic autonomy?

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The European Union’s (EU’s) foreign policy and identity as a global actor have been deeply embedded in the liberal internationalist policy paradigm (Jørgensen et al, Chapter 1 in this volume; Jørgensen et al, 2020). The principles and norms of liberal internationalism, such as free trade, mutual respect of sovereignty, collective security, multilateralism, rule of law, …

Preference convergence, functional pressure and supranational entrepreneurship: explaining the launch and design of the EU’s military assistance mission to Ukraine

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In October 2022, the EU established a military assistance mission in support to Ukrainian armed forces (EUMAM Ukraine). The decision to launch the mission runs contrary to what one would intuitively expect from the EU, considering member states’ traditional divisions on Russia, alternative training initiatives, Ukraine’s lacklustre position and the mission’s unconventional design. Despite the …

Regenerating Heartland Communitiesin Transition

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Irrespective of a community’s or region’s size and historic economic and social composition, there are diverse paths that are being found for economic renewal in similarly situated older industrial and transitioning communities. These paths for new prosperity must be built on whatever local assets and identity the community has to work with, and be locally …

FINLAND’S PATH TO KEEPING SOCIETY WHOLE

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Even as the most unsettling threat to European democracies appears to be coming from across the Atlantic, within the continent there has been for almost a decade the growing specter of right-wing nationalists gaining control of power in once stable democracies. While analysts offer numerous explanations for the growth in internal support for what often …

The controversy about Tajikistan’s history textbooks

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Among its Central Asian neighbours, Tajikistan’s history textbooks still most closely resemble official accounts from the Soviet era. They stress the evils of the Russian Empire’s expansion to the region. At the same time, they also remain fairly positive about Tajikistan’s Soviet experience, underlining the Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic’s contribution to the Soviet state. Perhaps …

Framing feminism in Eurasia: bottom-up strategies of depoliticisation and repoliticisation,

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Worldwide, feminist politics is increasingly marginalised and faces resistance from governments and societies. In post-socialist Eurasia, gender discourses are dominated by international donors promoting a neoliberal approach, as well as states mobilising patriarchal norms for nation building. Focusing on three grassroots feminist initiatives in Eurasia, this article explores alternative gender visions emerging from the ground …

Neo-Ottoman Soft Power: AKP’s Strategic Use of Turkish-Islamic Organizations in the German-Speaking Diaspora

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The article indicates a shift in Turkey’s foreign policy initiated by the Justice and Development Party (AKP). Unlike its predecessors, the AKP aims to safeguard its interests not solely through traditional political alliances but also via “soft power” mechanisms. It employs a strategy of emotive communication through identity, religion, language, and culture and seeks to engage segments …

The long breath of autocracy

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Governing through as a foundation, participation as a façade: why the Erdoğan system is likely to last longer than many had hoped – and how geopolitics plays into the president’s hands.

The positive externalities of US–China institutional balancing in the Indo-Pacific

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The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the international order transition, featuring intensified strategic competition between the United States and China, especially in the Indo-Pacific region.1 A prevailing view of US–China competition is the ‘Thucydides trap’—rooted in power transition theory and suggesting that strategic competition between a rising power and the hegemon will inevitably lead to conflict in …

When liars are considered honest

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This article introduces a theoretical model of truth and honesty from a psychological perspective. W examine its application in political discourse and discuss empirical findings distinguishing between conceptions of honesty and their influence on public perception, misinformation dissemination, and the integrity of democracy.

Routledge Handbook on Global China

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This innovative Routledge Handbook sheds light on the complex and transformative nature of Global China, prompting a re- evaluation of existing theories on global and regional dynamics. It encourages theoretical innovation, methodological reflection and analytical transformation, providing new avenues for critical engagement with China’s global interactions. The chapters propose three key commitments for the study …

Sentiment Shifts and a New Approach to Strategic Narratives Analysis. Russian Rhetoric on Ukraine

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How do countries’ strategic narratives (SNs) evolve during conflicts? Are changes in sentiment in diplomatic communication related to kinetic developments? This paper assesses Russian rhetoric toward Ukraine from 2004 to 2019 by qualitatively and quantitively analyzing nearly 3,000 statements by the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. During this time, Russian identity narratives changed from projecting …