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…
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China’s investment in Africa – between myths and challenges
China’s investment in Africa has sparked debate, driving economic growth while raising concerns about debt dependency and resource extraction. Infrastructure projects improve connectivity and trade, and Chinese-backed investments create jobs, addressing high youth unemployment.
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Exploring Space Policy: Europe’s Role in the Final Frontier
In our latest edition of the Impulse series Dr. Raúl González Muñoz, lecturer at the University of Leicester and Associate Fellow of the AIA NRW, highlights the critical role of collaboration and innovation in Europe’s space strategy. From near-Earth orbits to cislunar exploration, space requires a close partnership between policymakers and industry to overcome significant…
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Outer Space Governance: Space Security, Regulation and Sustainability
Outer space technologies, including rockets, satellites, and their supporting infrastructure, are vital to modern societies. They enable critical services such as telecommunications, internet access, mapping, geolocation, environmental monitoring, and weather forecasting. These systems also play essential roles in national defense, supporting intelligence collection, nuclear early warning, and precision weapon targeting. As such, they are key…
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Exploring the Final Frontier: Space as an Environment and the Challenges Ahead
The vastness of space has always been a source of fascination, but as humanity’s reach expands into the cosmos, so do the challenges we face. Associate Fellow Günes Ünüvar’s work sheds light on pressing questions: Is there a risk of being hit by falling satellites? What threats does space debris pose? And why should we…
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Exploring the Unknown: Dr. Chelsea Haramia on Planning for Post-Detection Scenarios
At AIA, Dr. Chelsea Haramia’s groundbreaking research focuses on preparing humanity for the profound moment when we might discover extraterrestrial life or technology. In a recent interview, Dr. Haramia shared her insights into post-detection planning, emphasizing the ethical and global challenges of responding to such a discovery. Central to her work is the importance of…
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Sub-national Diplomacy: Best Practices
Our Associate Fellow Vivek Anand shares his best practices in sub-national diplomacy.