Isolating Russia is a key element of the West’s response to Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. However, this strategy has only been partially successful. After more than two years of fighting, Russia has found ways to circumvent economic sanctions and political exclusion. This year’s BRICS+ summit, to be held in Kazan in October, is likely to illustrate this development. Russia will host a summit of the highest political and economic importance, bringing together leading powers from different regions of the world. This Spotlight unpacks and evaluates the effectiveness of Russia’s efforts to counter Western isolationist strategies by using soft power initiatives in the areas of fashion and sport in the run-up to the summit.
Kategorie: English
How Another Trump Presidency Would Affect the Russo-Ukrainian War
The United States has long been the most vital ally for Ukraine in terms of military aid, economic support, and pressuring Russia through sanctions and diplomatic initiatives. Consequently, both Kyiv and Moscow look primarily to the United States when it comes to the international politics of the war. Due to the outsized role of the United States in this conflict, commentators have predicted that the course of the war would shift if Donald J. Trump would be elected US president on 5 November. But what is the merit of such forecasts?
Securing the Vote: How the US Elections Have Become More Resilient to Threats to Election Integrity
The upcoming US presidential elections will serve as a stress test for election administration. Election denialism, (violent) threats and harassment, and concerns about foreign influence have shaped previous electoral environments. The 2022 midterm elections provided insights into the resilience of the electoral process and the state of implementation of a substantial new legislative package that was introduced after the 2020 presidential elections. While some challenges remain, the electoral infrastructure is ready to face Donald Trump’s potential claims of vote rigging and election denial.
UN Summit of the Future: Why the Climate-Gender-Conflict Nexus Would Be a Game Changer
World leaders and international civil society will gather in New York on 22-23 September 2024 for the UN Summit of the Future. The Summit is an event where world leaders meet and address current international issues and challenges to find consensus on how to create a better and safer present and future. This blog article takes issue with how the climate-gender-conflict nexus is (not) discussed in the lead-up to the summit. Reviewing the summit documents, I argue that the (draft) Pact for the Future treats gender justice, climate crisis, and conflict as separate silos of challenges, overlooking their interconnectedness. Instead, I emphasize the need for the Summit of the Future to take the climate-gender-conflict nexus seriously, recognizing the climate crisis as a risk multiplier that exacerbates gender inequalities and conflict dynamics.
Going over the Guardrails? China Policy in the 2024 US Election
No matter who wins the US presidential elections in November, the United States will likely continue a more confrontative China policy launched under Trump in 2017. A second Trump administration, however, would likely mean an end to the Biden-era “guardrails” against escalation. It would also make it much harder for Europe to assert its own interests and conduct an independent China policy.
The New US Administrations’ Africa Policies: What to Expect and Why it Matters
In terms of foreign and security policy, the pivot to Asia will define the tenure of the next US administration. However, strategic competition at the global level between the US, China and, to a lesser extent, Russia will not leave the Africa policy of either the Democratic or the Republican side untouched. This post will look at the future Africa policies of the two parties and how they may affect partnerships on the continent as well as multilateral approaches more broadly.
Early Warning for New Trouble? Increasing Social Polarization in Guinea-Bissau
Gen Z protests have kept governments in, among others, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, and Uganda, in suspense for weeks. Off the international radar, Guinea-Bissau has witnessed cross-generational protests lately, following an alleged coup attempt in late 2023. Protestors accuse the President of orchestrating the coup to dissolve parliament by decree. Many in Guinea-Bissau now challenge the presidency and demand adherence to the election schedule, with elections set for November 2024. This blog post takes the protests as a moment to widen the view, offering both narrative and counter-narrative readings of the coup attempt to contextualize the current political situation.
Keeping up the Ban against FGM/C: A Strong Signal for Reproductive Health and Rights from The Gambia to the World
Despite a 2015 ban, Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C) remains practiced in The Gambia. A recent bill to repeal the ban now endangered legislative progress so many Gambian women have been holding onto as well as longstanding efforts of civil society organizations. On 15 July 2024, following extensive community engagement and advocacy, the bill was successfully rejected. In the face of a global backlash against sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), what can activists worldwide learn from this success? This blog features an interview with Fatou Baldeh, founder of Women in Liberation and Leadership (WILL) and a leading activist in maintaining the FGM/C ban.
Going to the Polls (Dis)Informed? The Role of Disinformation in the Upcoming US Elections
On July 21, 2024, Joe Biden announced that he would be dropping out of the race, only a week after the assassination attempt on now official Republican candidate, Donald Trump. The electoral campaign which has so far been characterized by immense uncertainty, provides a perfect breeding ground for the spread of disinformation about the candidates and election process itself. As the stakes of the upcoming US elections remain incredibly high for both domestic and international politics, disinformation is becoming one of the most pressing challenges of our time.
Bangladesh Quota Protest – Tip of the Iceberg?
Violent clashes between students and police in Bangladesh have officially claimed more than 300 lives (unofficial figures are much higher). The students are protesting against a controversial quota system that reserves 56% of governmental jobs, leaving only 44% for general merit-based selection. Although the initial mobilisation of the students was about quota reform, the continuation of the protests indicates deep-rooted anger against the Sheikh Hasina government. Even if the protests are called off, which is not the case at the moment, justice for those who lost their lives in the protests will remain elusive.
