During the last months, we witnessed massive protests around the globe against authoritarian rule, social injustice and climate change. Looking more closely at the ongoing wave of contention, we find two regional hotbeds for socioeconomic protests, the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) and Latin America. In countries as different as Lebanon and Iraq, Chile and Ecuador, public contention was primarily driven by socioeconomic grievances. In a project concluded earlier this year, we compared socioeconomic protests in both regions and found striking similarities in spite of very different contexts. Studying the evolution of socioeconomic contention in Egypt and Tunisia since the 2011 revolutions against the background of Latin American experiences, we found that there are surprising similarities in the patterns of contentious politics which can be explained when we consider them as an expression of a fundamental crisis of popular-sector incorporation.
Die bolivianisch-deutsche Lithiumkooperation im Zeichen der politischen Krise in Bolivien
Derzeit überschlagen sich die Ereignisse in Bolivien. Nach wochenlangen Protesten gegen Unregelmäßigkeiten bei den Präsidentschaftswahlen, trat Präsident Evo Morales am 10. November zurück und ging ins mexikanische Exil. Eine Übergangsregierung bereitet Neuwahlen vor, während die Gewalt zu eskalieren droht. Bisher sind fast 30 Menschen ums Leben gekommen. Für Deutschland hat die politische Krise direkte Auswirkungen. Kurz vor seinem erzwungenen Rücktritt kündigte Morales einen bolivianisch-deutschen Kooperationsvertrag zum Abbau von Lithium. Eine Affekthandlung, die tiefen Einblick in die komplexe politische Gemengelage im Andenland gewährt. Die dahinterstehenden Auseinandersetzungen zeigen aber auch wie sozial-ökologisch komplex der Abbau des zentralen Rohstoffs der Elektromobilität ist.
„Wir bieten Orientierungswissen an.“ Nicole Deitelhoff über die Balance zwischen Forschung und Wissenstransfer
Gerade in der Friedens- und Konfliktforschung kommt der (politischen) Praxis eine besondere Bedeutung zu. Es geht darum, Konfliktursachen zu erforschen und Lösungswege für die Politik aufzuzeigen. Nicole Deitelhoff, Leiterin der HSFK, sprach mit Tome Sandevski vom Mercator Science-Policy Fellowship-Programm über die Balance zwischen Forschung und Wissenstransfer, die Ausbildung von Diplomatinnen und Diplomaten im Auswärtigen Amt, und über die Gründung des Instituts für gesellschaftlichen Zusammenhalt.
The Death of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi: Yet Another Targeted Killing?
The death of fugitive Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, killed in a US raid in northwest Syria on Saturday, sparked little controversy among international leaders and the media. It is understandable that the international community is relieved after the death of al-Baghdadi, one of the most sought after international terrorists. After all, the Islamic State has committed mass atrocities, war crimes and other brutal and inhumane acts under his leadership. However, the operation that led to al-Baghdadi’s death should not be taken lightly. If we don’t address cases of targeting operations with enough scrutiny, they might serve as a blueprint for a further normalization of targeted killing practices in the future.
Abiy Ahmed and His Achievements in Ethiopia. From Lost Hope to New Optimism with the “Medemer” Concept?
Ethiopian Prime Minister Dr. Abiy Ahmed received the 100th Noble Peace Price for his efforts to achieve peace with Eritrea. Indeed, he should be recognized for this achievement. This peace deal opens doors to sustain peace in a region which is pinpointed as one of the most conflict-prone regions of the world. He stepped into re-building strained relationships between Eritrea and Djibouti, Eritrea and Somalia, as well as Eritrea and Sudan. Without diminishing these regional achievements, this post aims to highlight his work towards establishing peace in Ethiopia by introducing the “Medemer” concept – at a time when Ethiopia was on the verge of a civil war.
Blindspot Konflikt: Der erste Global Sustainable Development Report ignoriert ein zentrales Querschnittsthema
Vor wenigen Wochen wurde in New York der erste Global Sustainable Development Report (GSDR) vorgestellt. Im Auftrag des Generalsekretärs der Vereinten Nationen (UN) bewertete eine unabhängige Gruppe von internationalen Wissenschaftler*innen den Umsetzungsstand der Agenda 2030 und der Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) auf Grundlage aktuellster Forschungsergebnisse. Der Bericht weist allerdings einen großen „blinden Fleck“ auf: Politische Konflikte und Gewalt spielen im gesamten Report kaum eine Rolle. Das ist ein Problem, schließlich ignoriert der Bericht somit ein zentrales Querschnittsthema, das für die Erreichung aller 17 SDGs eine entscheidende Rolle spielt. Die deutsche Bundesregierung sollte deshalb dafür werben, dass bei der anstehenden Nominierung der nächsten GSDR-Expertengruppe dieser bisherigen Leerstelle – auch personell – Rechnung getragen wird.
Turkey’s Invasion of Northern Syria Has Begun
Turkey’s long threatened invasion of Northern Syria has begun. Following a phone call with Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday, October 6th, President Trump ordered US troops in the Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve (CJTF-OIR) to withdraw from the border area where they had been conducting joint security patrols with the Syrian Defence Forces. After ensuring that the invading forces would not clash with its NATO US military counterparts, Turkish aerial bombardment and land invasion has begun. The international community, especially Turkey’s NATO allies, should do more than just ask for restraint.
Xenophobic violence and spatial inequality in South Africa
In recent violent attacks against African foreigners living in South Africa 12 people were killed. While xenophobic rhetoric has become increasingly normalised in the country’s political discourse, the latest violence has had domestic and international implications. Importantly, this violence must be seen in context of the continuation of South Africa’s colonial and apartheid era structures, which still play a crucial role in most South Africans’ everyday lives. Given that land reform is an unfinished and hotly discussed political project, we argue that intense economic and spatial inequality as remnants of the past are important contributors to recent violence, specifically against foreigners in South Africa.
Why study democracy promotion negotiation?
Democracy promotion is a fundamentally interactive practice: it involves a complex interplay of external and local actors. In perceiving their goals, democracy promoters interact with various kinds of “local actors” and must increasingly confront the fact that local interests not only have to be taken seriously and integrated, but that a successful democratization process requires more than template models imposed from the outside. It requires discussion, dialogue and negotiation – and here comes the problem: Although most scholars acknowledge the interactive nature of democracy promotion, the interaction process itself is largely treated as a “black box” and negotiation dynamics have been somewhat unexplored. This is about to change.
Turkey and the “so-called” Armenian Genocide: the politics of denial in European and domestic affairs
The Armenian Genocide or, as it is labelled in mainstream Turkish discourse, the “so-called Genocide,” continues to fuel political tensions, both internationally and at home. Use of the G-word by governments worldwide invariably provokes a reaction from Ankara, whose genocide denial continues to shape and colour Turkish foreign policy as well as domestic matters. Strikingly enough, however, the most important institution of the Armenians in Turkey has also participated in the politics of denial in recent years. How do the politics of such genocide recognition and denial play out, and what do they imply?
