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.

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. 

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.

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. 

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.  

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. 

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. 

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. 

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 mega region. 

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.

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. 

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.

This event launches the first-of-its-kind online tracker of the patterns and trends of anti-fake news lawfare in six countries of South and Southeast Asia and their countermeasures.

Whether regarding drugs, trade, or migration, Mexico has been repeatedly criticised, cajoled, and threatened by Trump on the campaign trail. On the eve of his inauguration, this GIGA Talk will highlight the challenges facing Mexico with a second Trump presidency and discuss its readiness to resist those pressures.

The third MIASA Policy Conference “Dealing with conflict, preparing for sustainable peace” will provide space for exchange between researchers, policymakers and other key stakeholders in sustainable peace-making to present and discuss state-of-the-art research and its policy implications. Emphasis will be given to African perspectives on intervention practices and peacebuilding efforts on the continent, drawing on insights from both research and practice.

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.

Analysing over 2.8 million “tweets” from Chinese and Russian accounts, we find that Chinese accounts proactively shape narratives to reinforce internal stability, whereas Russian accounts exhibit reactive spikes during critical events, utilising divisive narratives to exacerbate polarisation in Western democracies.

Dr. Yasmine Zarhloule (Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center) explores how border closures in Morocco’s eastern regions have reshaped regional belonging, identity, and spatial politics, examining the dynamics between development narratives and collective memory in the borderland.

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.

The Co-LABorate workshop, “Preserving and Transferring Indigenous Knowledge in a Digital World,” will convene global experts, leaders, and activists to explore key challenges and opportunities in preserving and sharing indigenous knowledge through digital innovation.

This event will officially launch and highlight selected insights from the Sustainable Global Supply Chains Report 2024 on “Decent Work in Global Supply Chains”.

The 29th webinar of the Franco-German Observatory of the Indo-Pacific, hosted by the CERI, features Dr Kelly A. Grieco of the Stimson Center in Washington. She will speak about the integration of defence Industries and US hegemony. Is an Indo-Pacific military-industrial complex in the making?

Do perceptions of “peace” shape migration aspirations in conflict-affected societies? Discover insights from a groundbreaking study across three continents.

This event launches the first-of-its-kind online tracker of the patterns and trends of anti-fake news lawfare in six countries of South and Southeast Asia and their countermeasures.

Whether regarding drugs, trade, or migration, Mexico has been repeatedly criticised, cajoled, and threatened by Trump on the campaign trail. On the eve of his inauguration, this GIGA Talk will highlight the challenges facing Mexico with a second Trump presidency and discuss its readiness to resist those pressures.

The third MIASA Policy Conference “Dealing with conflict, preparing for sustainable peace” will provide space for exchange between researchers, policymakers and other key stakeholders in sustainable peace-making to present and discuss state-of-the-art research and its policy implications. Emphasis will be given to African perspectives on intervention practices and peacebuilding efforts on the continent, drawing on insights from both research and practice.