Benjamin Westhoff
Impulse
-
80 Years of North Rhine-Westphalia: From Industrial Powerhouse to Strategic Player in Tomorrow’s Security Architecture
Marking NRW’s 80th anniversary, Minister Mona Neubaur, Parliamentary State Secretary Sebastian Hartmann, Armin Laschet and Rheinmetall CEO Armin Papperger discussed the state’s role in European security, moderated by AIA NRW Director Mayssoun Zein Al Din. Key findings: NRW’s industrial and technological strengths can support strategic sovereignty, but resilient supply chains, critical infrastructure, innovation, societal resilience…
-
From Paradiplomacy to Climate Federalism
Debora Prado compares climate governance and paradiplomacy in Brazil and Germany, arguing that Germany’s institutionalized federal system enables stronger coordination between national and subnational governments. In contrast, Brazil’s federal government retains a monopoly over foreign affairs, leaving states and cities to pursue international climate action through informal, often uncoordinated arrangements. This creates policy instability, particularly…
-
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…