International

Japan’s Quiet Shift: Pacifism Under Pressure

In domestic Japanese politics, the prevailing narrative under Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is that Japan is finally doing what strategic necessity has long demanded:...

Ballots and Byte Codes: Gen Z, Protests, and the Digital Transformation of Democracy

“The revolution will not be televised”—but it will be live-streamed. When the government of Nepal abruptly banned over 20 social media platforms, attempting to...

The Optics of Doing “Something”

In the months following Donald Trump's reelection and inauguration as President of the United States, many of his political opponents began to share a...

Europe

Heidelberg vs. Silicon Valley: David contre Goliath ?

« Qui domine l’intelligence artificielle dominera le monde. » Vu que le développement de l’intelligence artificielle devient crucial pour le pouvoir des États, l’Europe semble presque...

EU Cohesion Policy in Times of Crisis

The EU's cohesion policy is the centrepiece of connecting citizens to the EU institutions and showing them how the EU can directly affect their...

Strategic Autonomy or Permanent Subservience? Rethinking Europe’s Transatlantic Ties

The world order as we have known it since the end of the Cold War thirty-five years ago has ceased to exist. Instead of...

Economics

Silk Road to Belt and Road: Understanding Chinese Engagement in Kyrgyzstan

The Kyrgyz Republic gained independence in 1991. However, as the country is nestled firmly in the centre of Eurasia, its cities and people have...

The Shadow Economies of Exploitation: Human Trafficking and State Capacity in the Indo-Pacific

Human trafficking is not only a major human rights crisis, but also an economic storm that undermines wages, governments, and the region’s economic order....

How North Korean Women Broke the Command Economy

When Rüdiger Frank visited North Korea, he expected to see surreal images of xenophobia and nationalist pride that the regime’s tightly controlled media showed...

Tech & Environment

When Harassment Becomes Immersive: Confronting Gender-Based Violence in Virtual Reality

In 2021, a user testing Meta’s Horizon Worlds reported that her avatar was surrounded and virtually groped by several male avatars within minutes of...

The Quiet Authoritarian: Control and Power in Singapore

When we hear the words digital authoritarianism, the firstexamples that probably come to mind are China with its “Great Firewall” and robust digital surveillance...

For Whom Does the EU’s CBAM Deliver Climate Justice?

The European Union is determined to achieve its aim of reducing emissions by at least 55% by 2030 and 90% by 2040, compared to...

French & German

La montée en puissance de Marine Le Pen : un défi pour Macron sur l’échiquier politique français

Trois jours après la démission d’Elisabeth Borne, Gabriel Attal est nommé Premier Ministre, devenant ainsi le premier Premier ministre ouvertement gay et le plus...

Dans l’ombre de Mitterrand: l’origine de la faiblesse de la gauche actuelle

La gauche française est aujourd’hui synonyme de désordre. Loin de son histoire populaire et glorieuse, sa position actuelle semble précaire, marquée par des conflits...

Anton Wein-Wislocki, Referatsleiter für Klima-, Umwelt- und Energiediplomatie im Außenministerium im Interview

Anfang November fand in der Wiener Hofburg das International Vienna Energy & Climate Forum 2023 (IVECF) statt. Das 2008 ins Leben gerufene Forum wird...

Opinion

Borrowed Words: The Everyday Violence of an Imposed Language

“I speak only one language, and it is not my own.” This paradox, articulated by Jacques Derrida, serves as a poignant entry point into the...

Would Karl Marx Buy a Labubu? Brain Rot and the 21st Century

The phenomenon of “Brain Rot” is one of great intrigue for an analysis of the larger psycho-social movements of the 21st century. Amidst the...

Sins of the Past and Problems of the Present: Poland’s Security Dilemma and Germany’s Role

Since President Donald J. Trump’s second inauguration, Europe has been in a quagmire. Most European nations had previously defunded or minimised their armies, relying...