GIGA Focus

Across the Americas, child labour policies vary. Business interest groups push for legalisation; working children’s organisations seek regulation to secure worker protections; the ILO calls for prohibition. Social policy strategy and children’s participation are essential to addressing the issue.

Does the fall of Assad in Syria mean the end of the drug known as Captagon? No. While the Islamist interim government has destroyed drug laboratories and pills, demand for cheap drugs remains strong in Syria and in its neighbouring countries. Captagon production and smuggling are transnationalising.

South Korea’s 2024 self-coup attempt marked its gravest democratic crisis in decades. The brief imposition of martial law exposed deep flaws in civil–military relations and elite polarisation – yet also revealed the surprising resilience of Korea’s democratic institutions.

AI governance is shifting, with national priorities outweighing global coordination. To uphold its leadership in rights-respecting and innovation-friendly AI, the European Union must strengthen its domestic capabilities, expand international partnerships, and assert its regulatory influence.

Trump’s disruptive policies could inadvertently provide the impetus to bring Europe and Latin America closer together. With smart policies, the incoming German government can leverage shared interests for a renewed partnership.

The AUKUS security pact between Australia, the United States, and the United Kingdom aims at providing greater security and stability in the Indo-Pacific. But can it really work? Explained is the exact nature of this pact and in highlighting the risks and challenges for all parties involved.

As conflicts reshape the MENA region, the new German government must balance diplomacy, security, and economics. From Syria to the Gulf, explored are Germany’s strategic options on leveraging EU cooperation, managing authoritarian shifts, and driving energy transitions for long-term stability.

Rethinking development policy: dismantling it would be fatal - it serves German interests and secures global goods. But “business as usual” is not enough: coordination and genuine partnerships with the Global South are necessary. Europe must create a more effective, multilateral offer.

Geopolitical rivalry with China, the collapse of Russia as a trading partner, and the radical paradigm shift in US foreign policy under Trump evince a core truth: Germany needs reliable partners in the Global South. How can the incoming government best respond? Four trends to note are outlined.