The global digital transformation is changing the way we live and work, as well as how states relate to each other. Our researchers analyse the ensuing opportunities and challenges in the Global South and explore emerging instruments of state–society interactions and foreign policy, such as digital diplomacy, and cyber-sanctions, including anti-fake news laws. 

Approximately 80 million people worldwide are currently displaced due to war or political violence. Millions more have fled their homes because of environmental disasters and socio-economic marginalisation. As there is no immediate end in sight, forced migration is one of the most pressing challenges facing world politics today. We focus on the causes of this phenomenon in our study regions. 

Religion is a key facet of society and affects politics and socio-economic development in a multitude of ways. In the name of religions, terrorist attacks are committed, armed conflicts are fought, and xenophobia is justified. At the same time, religion can also be a vital contributor to peace. Our research explores the interplay between religion and security.  

How do geopolitics, populism, and global power relations influence international climate politics? Our researchers analyse these interdependencies and examine how countries of the Global South can promote sustainable development to engender fairer and more effective climate policy worldwide. 

The BRICS, G20, and G7 are shaping global governance in an era of shifting power dynamics. These alliances influence economic relations and geopolitical strategies. Explore how their interactions and rivalries redefine the world order and how we study these developments. 

The Indo-Pacific has emerged as the world’s economic and strategic centre of gravity, an area in which established and rising powers are now heavily competing with one another. Our work particularly emphasises the perspectives of actors (both governmental and non-governmental) in the Indo-Pacific. Learn more about the GIGA’s research on this strategic space. 

Democracy builds on common principles such as elections, a division of power, and the rule of law. In practice, democratic institutions often underperform due to executives overstepping the mark, conflicts and power struggles causing a stalemate in the policy process, as well as governance instability.

It is not only non-democratic regimes that resort to authoritarian practices. They can increasingly be found in use also in formally democratic states, as the examples of shrinking civic space, populism, and democratic backsliding show.

Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine once again raises the question of sanctions’ effectiveness. Economic sanctions are a popular foreign policy tool for addressing a wide range of international issues, including armed conflict, human rights violations, and terrorism. 

Participating in global supply chains brings huge development opportunities to poorer countries, but it is also often associated with precarious working conditions, pollution, and unequal power relations. How can global supply chains become more inclusive and sustainable? Explore our research on global supply chains vis-à-vis the Global South. 

The global digital transformation is changing the way we live and work, as well as how states relate to each other. Our researchers analyse the ensuing opportunities and challenges in the Global South and explore emerging instruments of state–society interactions and foreign policy, such as digital diplomacy, and cyber-sanctions, including anti-fake news laws. 

Approximately 80 million people worldwide are currently displaced due to war or political violence. Millions more have fled their homes because of environmental disasters and socio-economic marginalisation. As there is no immediate end in sight, forced migration is one of the most pressing challenges facing world politics today. We focus on the causes of this phenomenon in our study regions. 

Religion is a key facet of society and affects politics and socio-economic development in a multitude of ways. In the name of religions, terrorist attacks are committed, armed conflicts are fought, and xenophobia is justified. At the same time, religion can also be a vital contributor to peace. Our research explores the interplay between religion and security.  

Germany is facing important foreign policy decisions: How can the new government best interact with the Global South between democratic crisis, power competition, and ongoing economic interests? In this GIGA Forum, experts analyse challenges, opportunities, and possible strategies here. 

The panel analyses the characteristics, causes, and consequences of drug trafficking and drug policy in the Middle East, the Caribbean, Southeast Asia, and West Africa. The discussion contextualises the challenges of transatlantic drug trafficking, teases out commonalities and differences, and provides comparative insights.

At “Decoding BRICS,” renowned experts, policymakers, and representatives from business and academia will discuss key questions about the future of the BRICS group and its impact on the global order. Joint conference by Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom, Federal Chancellor Helmut Schmidt Foundation, Körber-Stiftung, German Asia-Pacific Business Association, and GIGA.

GIGA, RWI, DEval, and the evaluation department of KfW invite to a one-day Learning Forum on the use of evidence in German development cooperation. The forum aims to firmly establish evidence-based approaches on the agenda of political decision-makers and to strengthen the dialogue between research and practice. Using concrete examples and current development policy challenges, the event will demonstrate how evidence can be systematically applied to inform and improve decision-making processes.

This GIGA Talk explores how people and politicians across Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East view today’s major conflicts — perspectives often missing from European media. Our panelists discuss how history, regional dynamics, and strategic priorities shape these diverse interpretations of events.

How does state censorship contribute to self-censorship in Chinese universities and in turn affect academic output? Using interviews and analysis of over 5,000 hand-coded publications of scholars in the US and China from 1985 to 2022, this talk addresses the consequences of self-censorship for knowledge production. 

This event series delves into the evolving field of Global International Relations, highlighting research and practices at GIGA and beyond. It examines how IR can move beyond Western-centric frameworks by incorporating diverse perspectives, histories, and experiences from around the world. Each session features expert insights, discussions on knowledge co-production and partnerships with the Global South, and interactive Q&A segments.

We cordially invite you to a keynote speech and Q&A session with His Excellency Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, OON, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Federal Republic of Nigeria.

One year after Germany’s significant – and controversial – cannabis reform, leading experts draw on experiences of marijuana legalisation elsewhere to discuss the intended and unintended outcomes, the opportunities for improvement, and the uncertain outlook for the country’s new cannabis policy.

Global carbon markets rely heavily on land-based projects in the Global South. While offering to finance nature-based solutions, they risk overestimating emissions reductions and producing conflict with local communities over scarce land resources. A new Land Matrix report underlines the need for high-integrity markets.

The Horn of Africa is in flux: new alignments, regional rivalries, and global involvement are reshaping prospects for peace and stability. What do these shifts mean for Germany, the EU, and their role in the region?

Prof. Alev Çınar examines the production of civilizationist discourse in the Islamic intellectual field, which gave rise not only to the civilizationist vision of Turkey’s ruling party, the AKP, but also to various other Islam-based intellectual movements that emerged in the field since the 1940s.

This GIGA Forum brings together four experts to dissect the highlights and outcomes of the 17th BRICS Summit in Brazil. With perspectives spanning longstanding and newer BRICS members, the panel explores in depth the group’s evolving role in addressing global challenges.

In summer 2025, the city-twinning of Hamburg and Dar es Salaam will celebrate its 15-year anniversary. What opportunities can such a partnership offer for North–South cooperation in the context of changing geopolitical power relations?  

India is an active BRICS member also deepening its ties with the West. With its strategy of “multi-alignment,” India claims to be a leader of the Global South. The GIGA’s team of India experts, Sharinee Jagtiani (German Marshall Fund), and Germany’s ambassador to India, Philipp Ackermann, debate the country’s geopolitical sweet spot.

How can we balance economic development opportunities with fair labour conditions and environmental responsibility in global supply chains? Join us and our international guests on the occasion of the Hamburg Sustainability Conference to explore the key dilemmas and solutions for more sustainable trade. 

Germany is facing important foreign policy decisions: How can the new government best interact with the Global South between democratic crisis, power competition, and ongoing economic interests? In this GIGA Forum, experts analyse challenges, opportunities, and possible strategies here. 

The panel analyses the characteristics, causes, and consequences of drug trafficking and drug policy in the Middle East, the Caribbean, Southeast Asia, and West Africa. The discussion contextualises the challenges of transatlantic drug trafficking, teases out commonalities and differences, and provides comparative insights.

At “Decoding BRICS,” renowned experts, policymakers, and representatives from business and academia will discuss key questions about the future of the BRICS group and its impact on the global order. Joint conference by Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom, Federal Chancellor Helmut Schmidt Foundation, Körber-Stiftung, German Asia-Pacific Business Association, and GIGA.