Benjamin Westhoff
Impulse
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From Beijing to Shanghai: Inside a 5-City Urban Diplomacy Field Trip
After three weeks of fieldwork across Beijing, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Suzhou, and Shanghai, Anna Shpakovskaya explored how China is reshaping its urban future. Her research focuses on city diplomacy and the rise of city clusters—multi-city agglomerations now central to China’s high-quality urban development strategy. Experts highlighted two dynamics: strong top-down policy design and intense competition among…
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Democratic Resilience in an Age of Crisis
According to the 2024 Varieties of Democracy report, there are now 91 autocracies and 88 democracies worldwide. Even more striking, 72 percent of the world’s population—three out of four people—live under autocratic rule, a level not seen since the mid-1980s. The decline of democracy isn’t caused by coups or foreign enemies, but by elected leaders…
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The Power of National Dialogues
In a world frequently marked by political upheaval and conflict, national dialogues have emerged as vital tools for inclusive peacebuilding. Mariia Levchenko, a peacebuilding expert, recently shed light on the evolution, significance, and future of these dialogues, offering both historical context and personal reflections. Mariia Levchenko highlights national dialogues as powerful tools for peaceful conflict…