Views in May of 2019 around the ruined old city of Shingal after the war with the Islamic State
ISIS committed a genocide against the Yazid minority in Shingal, Iraq. | Photo: Levi Clancy via Wikimedia Commons | CC0 1.0

Without a Caliphate, But Far from Defeated: Why Da’esh/ISIS Remains a Threat in Syria in 2025

Since the fall of its self-proclaimed caliphate in 2019, ISIS remains a persistent threat in Syria. As of 2025, according to US estimates, more than 2,500 active fighters continue to operate in Syria and Iraq, while thousands of battle-hardened ISIS militants are held in Syrian prisons – posing a serious risk if released, especially through orchestrated prison breaks. Additionally, thousands of ISIS-affiliated individuals remain in detention camps, where they are vulnerable to radicalization and recruitment. Following the fall of the Bashar Al-Assad Ba’ath regime, the tenuous control of the new Syrian government, combined with ongoing violence, could further strengthen ISIS’s capabilities, allowing jihadists to regroup, sustain their presence, and potentially expand their influence once again.

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Photo that shows Donald Tusk, Polish Prime Minister, Antonio Costa, President of the European Council, and Ursula von der Leyen on a stage speaking into a microphone.
Ursula von der Leyen, Antonio Costa and Donald Tusk at the informal EU Leaders' retreat on defence in February 2025. | Photographer: Dati Bendo, © European Union, 2025 | CC BY 4.0

Europe’s Defence Dilemma: Rising Militarization Amidst Industrial Fragmentation and Weak Export Controls

The issue of arming Germany and the EU countries is currently dominating the headlines. The threat posed by Putin’s Russia and the uncertainty as to whether the USA under Trump will still stand by its security policy commitments within NATO have prompted the EU states to embark on a massive rearmament program. However, the EU Commission is currently setting the pace with the publication of the new White Paper and a series of defence industry programs. The discussion about the considerable arms expenditure obscures the focus on the fragmentation and competition among the European arms industry, the differences in threat analysis between the EU nation states, and the possible risks and problems of lowering the standards of German and European arms export policy.

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Group photo of formally dressed people on a staircase in front of a row of flags.
“Securing our future”: Meeting of European Heads of State and Government at the London Summit, March 2025. | Photo: Christophe Licoppe, © European Union, 2025 | CC BY 4.0

Maintaining the Rules-Based International Order: How Europe can Stand up to the Superpowers as an Alliance of Small States

When Western voices described the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 as an attack on the “rules-based” or “liberal” international order, it was always implied that it was Western states, and the USA in particular, that safeguarded international law after the Second World War. However, it was primarily Afro-Asian states that defended the rules-based order during the Cold War when aggressions challenged the inviolability of international borders. A closer look at this history can help to develop concepts for the validity of international norms – especially for a Europe that is in danger of becoming an object of great power politics in the future.

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The picture shows the Genocide Memorial in Windhoek, Namibia which commemorates the extermination order against Ovaherero and Nama following their rising aganist German rule in Namibia. The Genocide memorial is made of stone with a plaque showing people being hanged and german officers with guns standing in front of them. Atop the memorial two bronze figures raise their fists. On the stone it reads “Their Blood Waters our Freedom”
The Genocide Memorial in Windhoek commemorates the extermina-tion order against Ovaherero and Nama following their rising against German rule in Namibia, 04 September 2018. | Photo: © picture alliance / imageBROKER | Thomas Sbampato.

Dealing with Germany’s First Genocide: Why Bilateral Negotiations with Namibia Failed and What the New Government Must Do

Since the end of the last Bundestag session it has become clear that although projected in the coalition agreement, the Scholz government has not taken significant steps towards dealing with Germany’s colonial past in Namibia. A Joint Declaration fell victim to the early elections in Germany. This spotlight presents data from a representative survey showing that dealing with the colonial past in Namibia has no priority for Germans, which might explain why the Scholz government shied away from making the case an election issue. The spotlight identifies key take-away points on what went wrong and what a new German government should do better.

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Serbian people protesting on the street
University students stage protest against Prosecutor General Zagorka Dolovac. | Foto: © EPA-EFE/ Andrej Cukic | Editorial license for print and online

Uprisings in Serbia. Struggle(s) against a resilient regime

Following the collapse of the recently renovated Novi Sad train station, which resulted in the death of 15 people, students across Serbia have been leading one of Europe’s largest protest movements. After months of anti-corruption demonstrations demanding justice and government accountability, hundreds of thousands gathered in Belgrade on March 15, 2025, in what some call […]

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Antarctic coastline with snow mountain range visible in the distance. Three small red buildings are visible in the front right lower corner.
Almirante Brown Research Station at foot of glacier, Paradise Bay, Antarctic Peninsula, Antarctica. | Photo: Christopher Michel via Wikimedia Commons | CC BY 2.0

Confronting Antarctic Security. Let’s stop chasing spectres at the South Pole!

Antarctica is often celebrated as a continent of peace and science. All ‘measures of a military nature’ – other than logistic and technical support for scientific endeavours – are prohibited by the Antarctic Treaty, which remains widely observed some 66 years after it was negotiated in 1959. However, conversations about ‘Antarctic security’ appear to be increasing in frequency and salience. Rather than chasing military and national security spectres at the South Pole, we should invest more in diplomatic and political efforts to ensure the ongoing effective and peaceful management of the Antarctic.

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Room with semi-circular tables at which formally dressed people sit. A man in a suit is standing at the lectern, with a number of other people sitting behind him. The flag of the OPCW hangs on the wall.
March 5, 2025: Caretaker Foreign Minister al-Shaibani addresses the Executive Council at OPCW in The Hague | Photo: OPCW via flickr | CC BY 2.0

Chemical Weapons Disarmament in Syria – A Door Opening?

On March 5, 2025, the caretaker foreign minister of Syria, Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani, delivered a speech at the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) in which he promised that his government would eliminate the Syrian chemical weapons programme and bring the country back into compliance with the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC). If implemented, this would end over a decade of Syrian violations of the CWC, offer the opportunity to hold those responsible to account, and reaffirm the global norm against chemical weapons. Deeds will have to follow these words, but this announcement at least allows for some cautious optimism in an otherwise gloomy international disarmament climate.

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A Serverroom: A long row of servers on the left and right in an industrial hall
The order to halt all cyber operations against Russia marks a stark departure from the previous administration’s cybersecurity strategy. | Photo: Ismail Enes Ayhan via Plattform Unsplash | Unsplash Lizenz

US Halts Defensive Cyber Activities Against Russia: A Digital ‘Withdrawal’ from Europe

In a major shift in U.S. cybersecurity policy, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered U.S. Cyber Command to halt all planning against Russia, including offensive cyber operations. This policy change, made behind closed doors, represents a significant reversal of the approach taken under the Biden administration, which had identified Russia and China as the most significant intelligence threats to the United States. The decision aligns with the broader foreign policy direction of the Trump administration, which aims to “de-escalate” tensions with Russia, though it seems to be more of an appeasement. And this policy shift obviously comes at the expense of national and allied security, as has become frighteningly clear in recent days with the example of the – one can hardly call it anything else – ‘blackmail’ of Ukraine, which was temporarily denied military and intelligence support by the US.

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Former President Rodrigo Duterto stands at a podium in front of the flag of the Philippines.
Former President Rodrigo Duterte was arrested by the Philippine National Police and transferred to The Hague. | Foto: Republic of Korea via flickr | CC BY-S 2.0

The Arrest of Rodrigo Duterte: A Turning Point for Justice and Accountability?

After years of efforts by the International Criminal Court (ICC), former President Rodrigo Duterte was finally arrested by the Philippine National Police and transferred to The Hague. What at first glance appears to be positive news, on the other hand, demonstrates the lack of will and abject failure of Philippine politics and authorities to prosecute the former president on their own soil. While the arrest is a first step to accountability and justice, it is also a dramatic testimony to the continued existence of a political elite that has no interest in taking responsibility for the common good themselves.

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Photo of a beach filled with crowds of people in colorful clothes. Close to the shore there is a line of colorful boats.
January 13, 2025: Aerial view of Kumbh Mela at Triveni Sangam | Photo: Pankaj Chauhan via Pexels

Maha Kumbh Mela: Integrating The Pursuit of Spirituality With Political Dynamics

Maha Kumbh is a major Hindu festival in India, noted as the largest human gathering by UNESCO. Occurring every 144 years, in 2025 it was held in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh (UP), with an estimated 600 million attendees worldwide. This article examines the symbols of the festival, their political significance, and the blending of faith and politics under the right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government. The focus of the study is on methodologies for achieving political goals, as opposed to the customary strategy of employing religion within the context of Indian politics; a stratagem that the majority of prominent national political parties have utilised.

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