The external promotion of democracy, a long-standing and bipartisan U.S. foreign policy goal and key to the reproduction of U.S. national identity, has come under unprecedented trouble under the Trump administration. What will U.S. democracy promotion policy likely look like under a second Trump administration, and what would it be under a President Biden? In neither scenario, a return to the status quo ante is likely.
Author: Annika Elena Poppe
Dr. Annika Elena Poppe ist wissenschaftliche Koordinatorin beim Forschungsverbund „TraCe“. Ihre Forschungsinteressen sind Demokratieförderung, schrumpfende/schließende Räume und die normativen Grundlagen der US-Außenpolitik. // Dr Annika Elena Poppe is an Academic Coordinator at the Research Alliance “TraCe”.Her research interests are democracy promotion, shrinking/closing spaces and the normative foundations of U.S. foreign policy. | Twitter: @ann_elena_p
Gemeinnützigkeit in Deutschland: Karneval und Religion ja, Politik und Menschenrechte nein
In einem Aufsehen erregenden Urteil hat der Bundesfinanzhof die Entscheidung des Hessischen Finanzgerichts verworfen, das den Trägerverein des globalisierungskritischen Netzwerks Attac als gemeinnützig eingestuft hatte. Die Entscheidung hat weit über den Einzelfall hinaus Brisanz, insofern sie dem politischen Engagement zivilgesellschaftlicher Organisationen klare Grenzen setzt. Ein Kommentar.
“Othering” Across and Beyond the Pond
We should be aware of “othering” as a phenomenon increasingly influencing the way we think and talk about the transatlantic relationship. We need to ensure that mechanisms of “othering”—so convenient to us and so skillfully employed by populist actors—do not unduly distort and amplify the existing differences that we need to work out.
Wir müssen Shrinking Spaces besser verstehen, um dem Phänomen begegnen zu können
„Shrinking Spaces“ bezeichnet die zunehmenden Einschränkungen von zivilgesellschaftlichen Handlungsspielräumen, die seit einigen Jahren von Autokratien, aber immer mehr auch von Demokratien, vorangetrieben werden. Warum haben wir es aktuell verstärkt mit diesem Phänomen zu tun? Was sind die Hintergründe und Argumente für die Einschränkungen von Handlungsspielräumen?
We Need to Understand Why States Object to the Presence of Foreign-funded NGOs
More and more countries restrict how NGOs operate, often by limiting their funding. The response is frequently to argue that these restrictions flout international law or amount to crackdowns on the opposition. Annika Elena Poppe and Jonas Wolff argue that the objections to NGO activity need to be taken seriously. In Egypt, for example, they are rooted in concerns about sovereignty and foreign interference.
Germany Sets a Poor Example: The Case of ATTAC in Light of Globally Closing Civic Spaces
A non-governmental organization (NGO) that is critical of the government’s actions in the country at hand receives a letter from the local tax office, indicating that its public-benefit status has been revoked on the grounds of its involvement in political activities. The decision involves 90 percent of the organization’s revenues, which, as a result, threatens its very existence. After a court has reviewed and closed the case in favor of the NGO, the central government intervenes, insisting that the judgment should be reviewed. For the time being, the organization’s public-benefit status has been revoked.
