The GCC countries are undergoing major economic and digital transformation beyond hydrocarbon export, requiring top-tier infrastructure and global tech collaboration. China has emerged as a key partner in this shift. This paper explores this partnership and potential cooperation with Germany and other European economies.

Academic freedom in the Maghreb has been deteriorating for the past decade. This paper documents the range of violations of academic freedom in Algeria, Libya, Mali, Morocco, and Tunisia and provides recommendations for universities and governments in their international cooperation.

This policy report examines the Nabas Wind Farm on Panay Island, Philippines, to explore the trade-offs between accelerating renewable energy projects and safeguarding the livelihoods of local communities.

This report synthesises cutting-edge research on labour standards in global supply chains. Authored by researchers from the Research Network Sustainable Global Supply Chains, it examines the impact of global supply chains on decent work, sectoral variations, and the implications of evolving due diligence regulations.

We examine how large-scale agricultural investments can raise communal conflict risk in Liberia. Using experimental games, we find more destructive behavior in communities with better access to plantation jobs, likely driven by labor migration and local tensions.

This article finds that presidents with stronger party power in Congress and higher public approval are more likely to end sanctions, particularly by capitulation. Sanctions with congressional oversight mechanisms last longer and are less likely to be lifted by presidents before achieving their goals.

Etwa ein Viertel der Menschen in Deutschland lehnen jegliche Form einer Dienstpflicht ab; dies gilt insbesondere für Frauen und jüngere Menschen unter 30 Jahren. Knapp die Hälfte (47%) aller Menschen befürwortete eine einjährige allgemeine Dienstpflicht für Personen unter 21 Jahren, die entweder bei der Bundeswehr oder in einer zivilen Einrichtung abgeleistet werden kann.

Der Sturz der Diktatur in Syrien Ende 2024 kam für viele überraschend. Ein halbes Jahr später ist die Ernüchterung groß: Auch die neue Führung setzt auf autoritäre Strukturen, analysiert André Bank. Aus seiner Sicht gibt die syrische Zivilgesellschaft jedoch Anlass zur Hoffnung.

This study identifies three distinct military roles in Asia’s autocratization since 1991—explaining them through a new model that combines military interests, praetorian legacy, veto powers, and ruling party strength.

This policy report analyzes two land deals emblematic of carbon offsetting in Indonesia’s forest sector, assessing whether they deliver mitigation benefits and uphold community engagement and benefit sharing as outlined in standards, project plans, and global frameworks.

In this article, we advocate for mainstream International Relations (IR) to acknowledge the agency of ‘global thinkers’ who have been overlooked or insufficiently engaged with in the discipline. This article serves as an introductory intervention, setting the stage for further exploration of global thinkers within IR’s disciplinary core.

This paper incorporates cognitive resilience into cyber defence against hybrid threats. Drawing on insights from South and Southeast Asia, it outlines avenues for cooperation with Germany and introduces the TRUST Framework to strengthen soft power, citizen trust, and overall societal resilience.

This book on comparative area studies (CAS) focuses on the openness of CAS’ to interpretive approaches and showcases strategies for leveraging CAS for causal analysis. It features efforts to rethink the logic, scale and purpose of comparison and promotes CAS’ role in deepening the interface between comparative politics and IR.

Ghana and Tunisia have often been framed as beacons of democracy in their respective regions. However, as Ghana’s democracy matured over decades, Tunisia’s experiment ultimately collapsed. This paper examines diverse factors shaping their paths, offering lessons on the risks of democratic backsliding.

Digital disinformation is on the rise in Latin America, threatening democratic dialogue in countries like Brazil, Mexico, and Argentina. This report explores recent trends, campaign tactics, and offers policy ideas for stronger responses—including EU-Latin America cooperation.

This article examines Saudi Arabia’s complex positioning in the Russia-Ukraine war, considering its adherence to the norm of equal sovereignty alongside its foreign-policy determinants. Outwardly supporting Ukraine’s right to sovereignty its continued cooperation with Russia paints a different picture.

This book offers perspectives on Indo-Pacific dynamics by a set of experts who have collaborated in the Franco-German Observatory of the Indo-Pacific. The volume speaks to and enriches scholarly discussions on the nexus of order(ing) and agency in that strategic space.

This paper argues that the strategic gains of a strong India-Sweden relationship outshine persisting challenges. Both partners should focus on five key areas of convergence: innovation and technology, green energy, sustainable development, defence trade and security, and trade and investment.

The shift to a bioeconomy offers climate and sustainability benefits but risks biodiversity loss, land conflicts, and social inequities—especially in the Global South. This article explores inclusive pathways and governance for a just, sustainable bio-based future.

Informal, low-quality employment in MSMEs remains a key challenge in low- and middle-income countries. Evidence from an RCT in Côte d’Ivoire shows that a light-touch business consulting program increased formal employment through better minimum wage compliance and more written contracts.

This paper investigates the impact of sub-Saharan African immigrants on the Tunisian labour market as well as their labour market integration and social inclusion compared to other immigrants, with a focus on the migration influx since the Tunisian uprising of 2010–2011.

This dashboard examines how the COVID-19 pandemic influenced executive personalization in 32 countries. Each bubble represents a country and its number of personalization events. Select one or two, then use the buttons to explore the events and their underlying mechanisms.

Greenfield FDI can support job creation in Africa, but its full impact is unclear. Using new data from 2013–2020, we find more projects than previously reported. While FDI boosts formal jobs in some sectors, its overall impact is modest and may even crowd out domestic employment.

Cocaine hydrochloride is the final and most distributed form of cocaine. This visualization uses UNODC seizure data to show the scale, spread, and clustering of large interdictions, offering insight into global trafficking and enforcement patterns.

This line graph shows coca cultivation trends in Colombia, Peru, and Bolivia from 2000 to 2023. Using UNODC’s Illicit Crop Monitoring Programme (ICMP) data, it tracks total hectares of coca bush cultivated annually, highlighting long-term shifts across the three countries.

The geopolitical competition between the USA and China takes place primarily in the Indo-Pacific. Co-edited by GIGA researcher Johannes Plagemann, this Special Issues explores regionals states' as well as the EU's ambivalent reactions to it through the prism of 'foreign policy signaling'.

Through state repression during Thailand’s 2020–2021 protests, this article identifies a two-pronged mechanism driving the nexus between judicial harassment and smear campaigns. First, smear campaigns delegitimize dissidents, framing them for legal charges. Second, these campaigns legitimize severe penalties, criminalizing dissent.

Global trade is shown through three relationships: trade within Global South Countries, trade within Global North Countries, and trade between them. As the arcs on the sides expand or contract, they represent the changing share of global trade occurring within or between these groups of countries.

Focusing on cocaine paste (pasta básica) seizures, this visualization examines the scale, distribution, and concentration of large interdictions. By analyzing seizure sizes and geographic hotspots, it highlights key trafficking routes and the role of enforcement in disrupting supply flows.

This visual exploration examines sea-related drug seizures recorded by the UNODC, focusing on seizures in ports, harbors, territorial waters, and vessels. It highlights trafficking patterns, enforcement efforts, and geographic distribution of maritime drug flows.

Diagnostic capacity played a crucial role in confronting the COVID-19 pandemic. Analyzing the experience of Latin America, the article shows that success depends on supra-national cooperation of which the existent influenza or dengue networks in the region are prime examples.

Africa’s digital transformation is accelerating, amid growing global competition. This study explores how the EU, China, and the US are striving to shape Africa’s digital future—focusing on infrastructure, innovation, and governance—and offers recommendations for stronger EU–Africa cooperation.

The 2025 Paris AI Summit marked a shift from global to national AI strategies. This paper explores India’s and Singapore’s AI governance, offering insights for the EU, with a focus on Germany, on cooperating with these emerging AI powers to advance ethical, sustainable AI.

Do war economies thwart postwar transformations and peacebuilding? This paper reveals a complex relationship shaped by political regimes and state capacities. It suggests that postwar countries can strengthen democratic institutions and state presence, rather than being inherently doomed by their war economies.

Kenya's rise as a digital leader in Africa showcases the power of digital leapfrogging in driving growth and innovation. This study explores Kenya's dynamic digital ecosystem, sectoral impacts, and key policies, offering insights on data governance, digital trade, and EU-Kenya collaboration, with Germany playing a leading role in digital cooperation.

The GCC countries are undergoing major economic and digital transformation beyond hydrocarbon export, requiring top-tier infrastructure and global tech collaboration. China has emerged as a key partner in this shift. This paper explores this partnership and potential cooperation with Germany and other European economies.

Academic freedom in the Maghreb has been deteriorating for the past decade. This paper documents the range of violations of academic freedom in Algeria, Libya, Mali, Morocco, and Tunisia and provides recommendations for universities and governments in their international cooperation.

This policy report examines the Nabas Wind Farm on Panay Island, Philippines, to explore the trade-offs between accelerating renewable energy projects and safeguarding the livelihoods of local communities.

This report synthesises cutting-edge research on labour standards in global supply chains. Authored by researchers from the Research Network Sustainable Global Supply Chains, it examines the impact of global supply chains on decent work, sectoral variations, and the implications of evolving due diligence regulations.