Skip to content

Author: Lisa Hartmann

Brazilian Paradiplomacy: Historical Trajectories, Institutions, and Case Studies

In cooperation with the Paradiplomacy Scholars Forum, a webinar was held at the initiative of AIA Fellow Débora Figueiredo M. Prado (Federal University of Uberlândia / AIA NRW) focusing on historical developments, institutions, and specific case studies of Brazilian paradiplomacy. With its 210 million inhabitants, Brazil is the seventh most populous country in the world …

The role of China and the BRICS in the new world order

On 16 March, Dr Huanyu Zhao, a postdoctoral researcher at the Ghent Institute for International and European Studies (GIES) at Ghent University in Belgium, visited the Academy. Dr Zhao gave the fellows fascinating insights into her research project, ReConnect China, which is funded under Horizon Europe. The project brings together around 100 researchers from 15 …

Sub-national Soft Power: Policy, Strategy, and Measurement

Suart MacDonald used the colloquium to take stock of his project on the topic of ‘Sub-national Soft Power: Policy, Strategy, and Measurement.’ His starting point was the question of whether the soft power analysis model (Assets–Infrastructure–Outcomes, AIO) he had developed in another context for the national level could also be applied to regions and cities. …

German Colonialism and its first Genocide

In cooperation with the Bonn Centre for Dependency and Slavery Studies (BCDSS), the Centre for Reconciliation Studies, and the Global Heritage Lab at the University of Bonn, a public evening event on German colonialism and the German-Namibian past took place on 11 March. Moderated by AIA Fellow Heloise Weber, German-Namibian political scientist Henning Melber, Julia …

European Regions and the Future of Europe’s Soft Power

In cooperation with the North Rhine-Westphalia State Representation in Brussels, the AIA organized a workshop on the importance of European regions for the future of Europe’s soft power, initiated by AIA Fellow Stuart MacDonald. The regions are home to important players such as city networks, cultural institutions, universities, and innovation ecosystems, which have great appeal …

Is the West Losing Young Minds? Reflections from the Munich Security Conference

On 13 February, AIA Fellow Stuart MacDonald joined an expert panel at the Munich Security Conference to discuss one of the most pressing questions in contemporary international affairs: how Western nations are faring in the global competition for trust, influence, and young people’s allegiances. Drawing on findings from his recent major comparative study of soft …

The Kartarpur Corridor: Heritage Beyond Borders

“Peace does not always begin with treaties; sometimes it begins with crossings.” In his colloquium AIA Fellow Summar Iqbal Babar examined the Kartarpur Corridor as a form of peace-building infrastructure between India and Pakistan. Established in 2019, the translocal corridor enables pilgrims and tourists to cross the border to visit Sikh shrines in an otherwise …

Soft Power in Transactional Times

Initiated by AIA Fellow Stuart MacDonald, a webinar on ‘Soft Power in Transactional Times’ took place on 3 February. This brought together potential consortium partners to identify the most suitable proposal for an application for a Horizon Europe research project on the topic of soft power under the conditions of transactional foreign policy. Based on …

ZEF Public Lecture The Kartarpur Corridor: A Translocal and Subnational Diplomacy Initiative for Peace Between India and Pakistan

AIA Fellow Summar Iqbal Babar gave a public lecture on the Kartarpur Corridor at the Centre for Development Research (ZEF) at the University of Bonn. The Kartarpur Corridor is a visa-free pilgrimage route between India and Pakistan that connects two important Sikh shrines. It runs for just under 4–4.7 km from the Indian-Pakistani border crossing …

Event Report: How do Empires Act?

As part of the Global Policy Dialogues, we welcomed Prof. Dr. Eva Marlene Hausteiner from the University of Nuremberg/Erlangen on 20 January. In her lecture, she addressed the significance of empires as actors in international relations, focusing in particular on the question of how empires exercise power. She presented two methodological approaches to conceptualising empires …

Anti-Colonial Struggles and the Politics of Organizing Structural Injustices: Critique of the “Declaration on the Right to Development”

At the AIA Fellow Colloquium, Heloise Weber, Associate Professor at the School of Political Science and International Studies at the University of Queensland, Australia, presented a current paper she is working on, which is part of a larger book project. She examines the United Nations Declaration on the Right to Development (UNDRD), which was adopted …

We wish you a restful holiday season and a successful start to the new year

Dear colleagues, partners, fellows, and friends, as the year draws to a close, we would like to thank you sincerely for your engagement, cooperation, and participation in our activities throughout the year. Your contributions and interest have been greatly appreciated and have enriched our work in many ways. We value the trust and commitment you …

AIA Fellow Meet-up

The core – or even heart – of a fellowship programme is a closely knit, productive and happy community of fellows, who share an interest in debates, exchange of knowledge and joint learning. Each cohort develops their own dynamics, and with every new group of fellows that comes to the Academy in Bonn, a sustainable …

Event Report: Autocracy On the Rise – Can Cities Save Democracy?

Can cities save democracy? This admittedly deliberately provocative question was discussed during a panel discussion organised by the AIA at the Haus der Bilder in Bonn City Library. The event was part of our annual theme ‘Sub-national Diplomacy’. At this event, conceived by AIA Fellow Tamara Ehs in collaboration with the Academy, the panellists agreed …

Event Report: Science Dialogue Day

Initiated by the Bonn based IDOS, the third meeting of the Science Dialogue Day took place at AIA this year. The networking and exchange event for invited representatives of leadership programmes in North-Rhine-Westphalia brings together professionals in research, training and fellowship institutions. Identifying shared interests and challenges is a main purpose of this meeting format, …

Event Report: The Crimean Tatars. History – Culture – Politics

Many may have heard of the Crimean Tatar ethnic group, but the rich culture and history of the Crimean Tatars is little known. AIA Fellow Hüseyin Cicek was involved as an author in the publication of an anthology on the history and culture of the Crimean Tatars, which was recently published by Mieste Hotopp-Riecke and …