Specific Editions of the GIGA Focus Series

In the various editions of the GIGA Focus, the GIGA publishes its research findings and concise analyses of current events. Four editions cover politics, economics, and society in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East, respectively. A transregional edition examines global trends.


  • GIGA Focus Global | 2/2023

    Digital Skills in the Global South: Gaps, Needs, and Progress

    The arrival of AI-powered chatbots has made many people think once again about the skills needed for the "digital future of work." Poorer countries in particular exhibit large “digital skills gaps.” This GIGA Focus looks at digital skills in the Global South.

    GIGA Focus Global | 6/2022

    Bolstering the Bromances: Turkey’s and Iran’s Tightening Ties with Africa

    The war against Ukraine has created possibilities for emerging actors in Africa – such as Iran and Turkey – to scale up their engagement with the continent. This Focus deals with the question of how the changing global dynamics are allowing Iran and Turkey to boost their ties across the African continent.


    GIGA Focus Africa | 1/2023

    Ten Things to Watch in Africa in 2023

    Russia’s war against Ukraine has accelerated international competition for influence in Africa. Structural weaknesses and post-pandemic instabilities continue to threaten democratic governance, peace, and development. We present a selective list and analysis of “ten things to watch” in Africa in 2023.


    GIGA Focus Asia | 6/2023

    The Indo-Pacific: Confidence-Building in Times of Growing Conflict Potential

    Growing geopolitical rivalries, military modernisation, and related developments could lead to the escalation of simmering conflicts in the Indo-Pacific. Regional powers and actors should enhance existing Confidence-Building Measures to increase stability. Europe should assist them.

    Wolfgang Rudischhauser

    Former Diplomat in Residence and Fellow

    GIGA Focus Asia | 4/2023

    Rediscovering the Pacific: Possibilities of German Cooperation

    The Pacific Islands region is increasingly on Germany’s foreign policy radar. This Focus examines the challenges faced by this world region, takes stock of extant ties with Germany, and discusses possible future key areas of cooperation here.


    GIGA Focus Latin America | 6/2023

    Crisis in the Andes: The Rise (and Fall?) of Two Women Leaders

    Women, often seen as political outsiders, bring renewal during crises but face added challenges. Examining Jeanine Añez and Dina Boluarte in Bolivia and Peru respectively reveals these dynamics, shedding light on the potential implications for future female political leaders.

    GIGA Focus Latin America | 6/2022

    Facing the Stress Test: Courts and Executives during the COVID-19 Pandemic

    Courts are highly relevant in controlling executive abuses of power in exceptional situations like the COVID-19 pandemic. Latin America’s courts were ready and able to set such limits. Illiberal presidents may heavily undermine judicial independence if they have the legislative support to do so.


    GIGA Focus Middle East | 1/2024

    Ten Things to Watch in the Middle East and North Africa in 2024

    From the Gaza War to other regional conflicts and the lasting importance of oil, the Middle East and North Africa region remains pivotal for Europe. We present ten issues that will play a central role in the relationship between both regions in the year ahead.

    GIGA Focus Middle East | 6/2023

    Converging Interests, Diverging Realities: Arab League–EU Cooperation

    Caught in an endless cycle of engagement–suspicion–decline, the EU–Arab League relationship, now fractured anew by the Gaza crisis, requires deeper engagement and collaboration, extending beyond traditional security concerns, to break the existing cycle and profoundly reshape diplomatic realities.

    GIGA Focus Middle East | 4/2023

    Tunisia’s Autocratisation under President Kais Saied

    After the Arab uprisings, Tunisia would emerge as the only Arab democracy. President Kais Saied’s July 2021 coup has, however, led to the autocratisation of the state. This GIGA Focus traces Saied’s base of support, his strategies, and rhetoric, as well as their implications for Tunisia’s future.

    GIGA Focus Middle East | 3/2023

    Mosque Geopolitics in Bosnia and Herzegovina

    The Focus examines the extent, contours, and impact of the foreign funding of mosques in Bosnia and Herzegovina since the end of the Bosnian war of 1992–1995. It presents the different actors involved and highlights the implications of this funding in terms of architectural and religious practices.

    Robin Cognée

    Former Visiting Fellow

    GIGA Focus Middle East | 2/2023

    The “New Turkey” Might Have Come to An End: Here’s Why

    This Focus analyses Turkey’s sociopolitical conflict constellations ahead of the country’s upcoming presidential elections on 14 May 2023, and assesses what the opposition’s chances are of ousting incumbent President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

    Aaron Smith Reynolds

    UK based analyst

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