Wind turbines stand on a sandy strip of land in a turquoise water with a clear blue sky. A banner reads socio-ecological transformation.
Renewable energy such as these wind turbines in Okinawa play a key role in advancing Japan’s energy transition. | Foto: Paipateroma via Wikimedia Commons | GNU Free Documentation License

Periphery as the New Center? Japan’s Renewable Energy Market and Policy Landscape

The Japanese government is currently preparing its 7th Strategic Energy Plan and released its draft plan for public comments in December last year. Reflecting on the war in Ukraine and the growing tension in the Middle East, from which Japan imports the majority of its crude oil, the draft plan emphasizes the importance of a stable energy supply and of close cooperation with industries to achieve decarbonization and energy transition. As the draft plan also states, renewable energy plays a key role in advancing Japan’s green transition. However, the path to replacing fossil fuels with renewable energy does not look so straightforward.

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Stack of boxes with the USAID logo and writing "USAID. From the American people." in the foreground. In the background there is an airfield with a helicopter.
USAID improved people’s living conditions around the world and provided disaster relief. | Photo: USAID via flickr | CC BY-S 2.0

USAID Facing its End? Likely Consequences for International Democracy Promotion

The US government under President Donald Trump has announced a comprehensive shakeup of the US development aid agency USAID. The talk ranges from restructuring or integration into the State Department to complete closure of the organization. Immediately after the announcement, USAID funding was frozen for an initial 90 days and thousands of employees and contractors worldwide are laid off. With the end of USAID as we know it, a fundamental upheaval in international development cooperation and democracy promotion is imminent.

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Three groups of icons representing people have shapes travelling between them and a page in the middle of the image. The page is a simple rectangle with straight lines representing data. The shapes traveling towards the page are irregular and in squiggly bands.
AI, deepfakes, and bot accounts: disinformation is widely regarded as a major threat to elections and society at large. | Image: Yasmine Boudiaf & LOTI / Better Images of AI / Data Processing / CC-BY 4.0

Germany’s Fragmented Approach to Disinformation in 2025 Elections

With elections taking place in less than a month, Germany finds itself faced with a critical challenge: foreign influence and disinformation campaigns aimed at undermining democratic processes. As Anne Applebaum warns, authoritarian regimes are no longer passive observers but rather active participants in spreading narratives that target the core ideals of freedom and democracy. In Germany, the government’s fragmented approach to countering disinformation only underscores the urgent—and, given recent developments, long overdue—need for a more proactive strategy for better understanding and addressing disinformation–during elections and beyond them.

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Volodymyr Zelenskyy sitting at a conference desk and speaking into a microphone. In front of him on the desk is a nameplate with "UKRAINE" written on it.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks at the UN Security Council Ukraine Open Debate at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York. | Photo: Kirsty O'Connor/Cabinet Office via Wikimedia Commons | CC BY 2.0

Is Lawfare Fair? Russia’s Illegal War and the International System

The search for recognised political legitimacy and legality is integral to states which take part in the international system. As Moscow’s acts of aggression continue in Ukraine, the international community has not been able to end the war, nor appropriately address its illegality. With Russia’s actions strictly going against international law, the use of legal means to lock-in the status quo has been a key part of the Russian war strategy. This blog conceptualises lawfare and contextualises its uses by Russia at the UN level.

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View through a curtain onto a mountainous landscape
Life at Combat Outpost Herrera in Afghanistan's Paktia province, about five miles from the border of Pakistan. | Photo: Spc. Ken Scar, Wikimedia commons, Public domain

The Resurgence of the Pakistani Taliban – Implications for Afghanistan-Pakistan Relations

In December 2024, the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), or Pakistani Taliban, attacked Pakistani security forces. The Taliban, who have taken refuge in Afghanistan, have been targeting Pakistan from their base in Afghanistan. This incident is part of a series of attacks that have been taking place since 2021, in the wake of the US withdrawal from Afghanistan. Initially, it was expected that the return of the Afghan Taliban would benefit Pakistan’s strategic interests. However, the opposite has happened. This article examines why and how the TTP is catalysing a gradual deterioration of the relationship between the neighbouring countries of Afghanistan and Pakistan (Af-Pak).

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Two men sit on chairs and shake hands facing each other. American and Russian Flags in the background.
U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin shake hands at a meeting in Finland, 16 July 2018. | Photo: © picture alliance/AP Photo | Pablo Martinez Monsivais

Reducing Nuclear Threats: Why Talks on Ending the War in Ukraine Should Include Agreements on Nuclear Risk Reduction

As the new U.S. administration pivots toward negotiating a ceasefire in the Ukraine war, the growing nuclear threat from Russia demands urgent attention. Drawing on Cold War history and negotiation research, this analysis highlights how arms control – formal or informal – can help curb nuclear risks even in the most volatile crises. German and transatlantic policy makers should therefore integrate practical arms control and risk reduction measures into ceasefire discussions to safeguard European security and prevent nuclear escalation.

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Person with black and red patterned headscarf seen from behind overlooking a settlement through binoculars.
A kurdish YPG fighter in Rojava. | Photo: Kurdishstruggle via flickr | CC BY 2.0

Rojava Under Pressure After the Fall of Dictator Al-Assad: Turkey and Islamist Allies Threaten the Kurdish Autonomous Region in Syria

After the long-awaited fall of the brutal dictator Bashar Al-Assad on December 8, 2024, through a swift offensive by Islamist rebels, many Syrians initially found hope. However, for the Kurds, this brought a different reality. Turkey and its Islamist allies have been putting immense pressure on the Autonomous Administration. Around 100,000 Kurds have already fled, and a Turkish invasion seems increasingly likely. The dream of democratic self-governance now faces an existential threat.

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A man formally dressed in white walks towards the camera, followed by other formally dressed people. Others stand on the side including people dressed in military uniform
NPP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayak won the presidential elections in Sri Lanka in September. | Photo: MEphotogallery via flickr | CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Sri Lanka’s Voters Shift to the Left: Unpacking the Implications

Presidential elections in the tiny island nation of Sri Lanka in South Asia brought a leftist coalition to power. The elections were held in September 2024. This was followed by parliamentary elections in November 2024. In both contests, the left-leaning candidate Anura Kumara Dissanayake and his political coalition, the National People’s Power, won decisively. This blog will contextualize the economic events that enabled the coalition’s victory and analyse the reasons why this electoral result is of historical significance for Sri Lanka.

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Donald Trump, Dana White und Mike Johnson bei der UFC
Donald Trump und Dana White sind in der Mixed-Martial Arts Liga nicht unbekannt. | Foto: Office of Speaker Mike Johnson via Wikimedia Commons | Public domain

Trump, White, Rogan – Männlichkeit, Härte und Faschismus: eine nicht ganz so neue Verbindung toxischer Männlichkeitskultur

Nun ist es Gewissheit: Donald J. Trump wird die USA für eine weitere Amtszeit regieren. Viel wurde in den vergangenen Wochen über Trumps Wahlkampfstrategie diskutiert. Obwohl der Erfolg auf eine Vielzahl von Faktoren zurückzuführen ist, steht fest: Trump hat mit enormen Mobilisierungsaufwand die spezifische Zielgruppe junger Männer adressiert. Die Auftritte fanden häufig über sogenannte Alternativmedien in einem maskulinen, heterosexuellen und gewaltaffinen Umfeld mit rechtsoffenen bis rechtsextremen Persönlichkeiten statt. Dies gilt es ernst zu nehmen und in einem multifaktoriellen Kontext zu analysieren.

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A hole in a wire mesh fence
December 10 marks the global Human Rights Day – a suitable occasion to put the EU’s Global Human Rights Sanction Regime to scrutiny. | Photo: @anton_nazaretian via Unsplash | Unsplash License

Moving in the Rights’ Direction? An Assessment of the EU Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime

Four years ago, on December 7, 2020, the European Union (EU) adopted its Global Human Rights Sanction Regime (EUGHRSR), which has been applauded as a milestone in the field of human rights promotion and protection. December 10, the UN’s global Human Rights Day, is a suitable occasion to put both the EUGHRSR and its performance to date to scrutiny.

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