AIA NRW, Katja Velmans
Fellows
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International RelationsOcean PoliciesChristian Bueger
Beyond the Oceanic Disconnect: Recalibrating Global Ocean Governance
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The past decade has witnessed a historic re-evaluation of the oceans. How can global ocean governance adapt to unprecedented maritime industrialization, climate crisis, and institutional fragmentation while addressing competing security, economic, and environmental priorities? -
International RelationsCecile Pelaudeix
EU Energy Security and Structural Transformations: Greenland and Sweden Critical Raw Materials
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EU policies to fight the existential threat of climate change, accelerate energy transition and ensure energy security can be met with fierce opposition captured by the phrase ‘not in my backyard’ or ‘green colonialism’. This project interrogates the political repercussions of critical material policies. The comparison of Sweden and Greenland assesses the conditions under which the implementation of EU policies is conducive to acceptance or is associated with resistance and political shift. -
Artificial IntelligenceComparative PoliticsEnvironmental PoliticsSustainable DevelopmentYi hyun Kang
Governing AI and the Environment
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This project addresses the urgent challenge of integrating global AI governance with environmental sustainability goals. As AI technologies rapidly expand, their environmental footprint raises concern. Yet, current global governance systems for AI and the environment remain fragmented. This project explores viable pathways for institutional interplay between AI governance frameworks and international environmental regimes. -
Artificial IntelligenceDigital GovernanceAnthony Acquah
Ethical Tech Diplomacy in Germany-Africa Relations
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As artificial intelligence (AI) becomes the cornerstone in global development, the ethical dogma of its deployment, especially in continents with emergent technological infrastructure such as Africa require urgent attention. This project seeks to explore Germany’s leadership role in advancing ethical AI standards in Africa, situating this endeavor within a broader model of ethical tech diplomacy. -
Global DevelopmentHuman RightsPostcolonialismHeloise Weber
Politics of the ‘Declaration on the Right to Development’
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My project examines the politics and political economy implications of a key international development and human rights framework: the 1986 United Nations Declaration on the Right to Development (RtD). More recently the Rtd has been aligned with the United Nations 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) agenda, conceived as a central pillar for ‘implementation’ of the RtD. I examine the RtD in relation to (global) structural injustice. -
Political EconomyFilipe Mendonça
Competing for the Future
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The US-China technological rivalry reshapes the global political economy and the liberal order. This project examines how Brazil and Germany respond to this structural change. While Brazil seeks neo-industrialization to avoid reprimarization, Germany faces strategic autonomy dilemmas within the EU. The research investigates how regional powers pursue technological resilience and viability under increasing geopolitical constraints. -
African PoliticsInternational RelationsSecurity StudiesAliru Abiodun Adiatu
External Development Partners and Regional Integration in SubSaharan Africa: A Case Analysis of the European Union and African Union Inter-Regional Relations
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This research project analyses the dynamics of the EU- AU inter-regional relations with the intent to highlight the opportunities and challenges that arise from this partnership. It investigates how external development partners can contribute to advancing regional integration in Africa, while also bearing in mind the significance of the African ownership and leadership in shaping the continent’s development trajectory. -
International RelationsSubnational DiplomacyAssociate FellowDébora Prado
A Comparative Analysis of the International Actions of Subnational Governments in Brazil and Germany
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This project examines how regional governments in Brazil and Germany engage internationally and why their actions matter for global debates. It focuses on two key areas: the global COVID-19 pandemic and environmental diplomacy. The study explores how subnational actors build partnerships, influence policy, and expand their presence beyond national borders, highlighting the growing relevance of subnational diplomacy in International Relations. -
International RelationsAssociate FellowKarolina Kluczewska
Geopolitical Reorientations in Central Asia
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Since the Soviet collapse, Central Asian states have been largely oriented towards Russia, seeing it as a reference point in foreign and domestic policies. Russia was even attributed with a status of a “strategic partner”. This suddenly changed with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 which prompted Central Asian policymakers, businesses and civil society to look for new, more reliable partners in Asia, Europe and the Middle East. Using a critical geopolitics lens, my project analyses the new “strategic” partnerships emerging in the region. It investigates actors and rationalities of the ongoing geopolitical reorientation, as well as formal and informal practices characterising this process. -
International RelationsSubnational DiplomacyAssociate FellowStuart MacDonald
Sub-national Soft Power: Policy, Strategy, and Measurement
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This fellowship programme will examine soft power dynamics across governance levels, from national frameworks through regional cooperation to urban cultural diplomacy. The research will build upon a recently completed comparative study for the British Council of the soft power policies, infrastructures and outcomes of 24 countries and the European Union, developing innovative methodological approaches for measuring and comparing soft power effectiveness across different governance contexts.
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Political ScienceAssociate FellowTamara Ehs
European Capital of Democracy
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Democratic, smart, resilient: Cities play a crucial role for the UNs’ SDGs. From ancient Athens to renaissance Florence and Frankfurt, cities were incubators of democracy. And today, while national governments seem to be failing to meet people’s expectations, leading to a tide of authoritarian sentiment, cities once again emerge as strongholds for safeguarding democracy. Based on the European Capital of Democracy initiative the project focuses on urban diplomacy for shaping a democratic future. -
International PoliticsMartin Weber
Solidarist Transnational Localism
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Social tensions and ecological stresses are on the rise today simultaneously. Increasing social Integration appears to depend on accelerated economic growth; and accelerating economic growth appears to hasten ecological crises. This problem is global, with distinctive local expressions; yet, today the International Institutional preconditions for coordinated responses are manifestly failing. His project surveys transnational solidarity networks that model workable alternatives.