German Institute for Global and Area Studies | Leibniz-Institut für Globale und Regionale Studien

Dr. Johannes Plagemann

Senior Research Fellow | Research Team Spokesperson

Short CV

10/2019 - 09/2020: Deputy Professorship for Political Science with a Focus on Area Studies China/East Asia at the Goethe Universität Frankfurt
01/2016 - 06/2017: External Policy Analyst at the Political Directorate-General, Federal Foreign Office
Since 10/2014: Research Fellow GIGA Institute of Asian Studies
2014: Research Fellow Sofja Kovalevskaja Research group (funded by the Humboldt Foundation) on "Background Justice between States: Global Institutional Design to Foster Sovereign Statehood"
2010 - 2013: Ph.D. candidate Hamburg International Graduate School for the Study of Regional Powers (HIGS)
Education: Bachelor in Philosophy & Economics Universität Bayreuth und Universidade de São Paulo, Master in Political Sciences Universität Hamburg und Bordeaux IV; PhD from Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel

Current Research

Multipolarity, rising powers, and International Politics
Legitimacy and International Institutions
Populism and Foreign Policy

Countries and Regions

India
South Asia
Mozambique

Research Programmes

Global Orders and Foreign Policies

Dr. Johannes Plagemann

Senior Research Fellow / Research Team Spokesperson

T. +49 40 428874-23 johannes.plagemann@giga-hamburg.de

GIGA Focus Asia | 3/2024

India after the 2024 Elections: Trends and Implications

The outcome of India’s 2024 national elections will define its future course as a democracy. Examined are the key factors and trends likely to influence India’s politics and policies in the coming years.

Mahima Duggal

Dr. Sangeeta Mahapatra

Dr. Johannes Plagemann

Adhiraaj Anand

Prof. Dr. Joachim Betz

Dr. Miriam Prys-Hansen

International Studies Quarterly | 04/2024

In the Eyes of the Beholders: The Legitimacy of Global Governance Institutions under Multipolarity

We investigate how global publics evaluate the legitimacy of two GGIs—the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the Group of Twenty (G20)—and multipolarity’s role in those evaluations.

Dr. Sinan Chu

Prof. Dr. Heike Holbig

Prof. Dr. Amrita Narlikar

Dr. Johannes Plagemann

Monograph | C.H. Beck | 09/2023

Wir sind nicht alle: Der Globale Süden und die Ignoranz des Westens

Der Westen ist nicht mehr der Nabel der Welt. Stattdessen treten die Staaten des Globalen Südens mit neuem Selbstbewusstsein auf. Das Buch diskutiert, warum die Staaten des Globalen Südens so handeln, wie sie es tun, warum deren Skepsis gegenüber dem Westen so tief sitzt – und warum in der neuen Vielfalt auch Chancen liegen.

Dr. Johannes Plagemann

Senior Research Fellow / Research Team Spokesperson

Dr. Henrik Maihack

Friedrich Ebert Foundation

GIGA Focus Asia | 5/2022

Towards Closer European Union and German Cooperation with South Korea in the Indo-Pacific

The European Union and Germany are implementing strategies for cooperation in the Indo-Pacific. How does South Korea fit into the picture? In this GIGA Focus Asia, we share findings from a collaborative, policy-oriented research project examining the potential scope for closer cooperation here.

Prof. Dr. Patrick Köllner

Dr. Johannes Plagemann

Dr. Christian Wirth

British Journal of Politics and International Relations | 08/2022

Populism and the Politicisation of Foreign Policy

To what extent and how do populist leaders politicise foreign policy? Sandra Destradi, Johannes Plagemann, and Hakkı Taş find interesting differences between the public discourses of Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Prof. Dr. Sandra Destradi

Dr. Johannes Plagemann

Dr. Hakkı Taş

Research Project | 01/01/2024 - 31/12/2025

Climate Obstruction and Foreign Policy in Comparative Perspective

The fight against climate change continues to be hindered by campaigns of corporate and other actors who seek to prevent global and/or national action on climate change. This research group is set up to a joint and comparative research agenda on climate obstruction in and across key Global South countries. The lead institutions are the GIGA and the Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (UERJ).
DAAD/CAPES, 2024-2026

Research Project | 01/01/2022 - 31/12/2022

Engaging the Indo-Pacific: German and Korean Perspectives on Regional Cooperation

A policy-oriented research project bringing together the GIGA and the East Asia Institute in Seoul. The project aims at analysing German/EU and Korean strategies for Indo-Pacific engagement and identifying areas for in-depth consultation, coordination and cooperation.
Korea Foundation, 2022

Research Project | 01/06/2021 - 31/05/2024

Populism and Foreign Policy

What are the implications of the global rise of populism for international politics? Episodes such as Brexit or US President Trump's withdrawal from the Iran Agreement suggest that populists in power fuel international tensions, weaken multilateralism and undermine global governance. However, existing preliminary work on the Global South shows that this is not automatically the case. The project seeks explanations for this variance in the effects of the formation of populist governments on foreign policy.
DFG, 2021-2024

Research Project | 01/12/2018 - 31/03/2022

Legitimate Multipolarity

Global governance institutions work differently under conditions of multipolarity. In a first step, in this project we investigate the legitimacy deficits of global governance institutions under conditions of multipolarity. In a second step, we analyse possible solutions to such problems put forward in rising powers’ foreign policy discourses. Legitimate Multipolarity adopts an empirical approach to the study of legitimacy and contributes to a global understanding of multilateralism’s merits, pitfalls – and prospects for reform.
DFG, 2018-2022

ZEIT Online | Expert Comment / Guest Contribution | 24/02/2024

Indien: Im weltpolitischen Abseits

Indien wird international umworben wie nie zuvor. Doch der Personenkult um Premierminister Narendra Modi und der Verfall demokratischer Standards nähren Zweifel an einer vermeintlichen "Wertepartnerschaft" mit dem Westen, kommentiert GIGA-Wissenschaftler Dr. Johannes Plagemann.

Deutsche Welle | Quote | 30/12/2023

BRICS - weder Papiertiger noch Schreckgespenst

Die BRICS wachsen und damit ihr Einfluss. Kann ein Bündnis so unterschiedlicher Staaten funktionieren oder entsteht gar ein anti-westlicher Block? GIGA-Experte Dr. Johannes Plagemann rät zur Kooperation.

Deutschlandfunk | Other | 27/11/2023

J. Plagemann, H. Maihack: „Wir sind nicht alle“ Globaler Süden

Buchbesprechung von "Wir sind nicht alle - Der Globale Süden und die Ignoranz des Westens" in "Andruck - Das Magazin für Politische Literatur"

GIGA Talk | 01/12/2022

Towards Closer Cooperation with South Korea in the Indo-Pacific

Towards Closer Cooperation with South Korea in the Indo-Pacific, Online event Organisers: German Institute for Global and Area Studies (GIGA) Prof. Dr. Patrick Köllner (Speaker), Dr. Johannes Plagemann (Speaker), Dr. Christian Wirth (Speaker), Prof. Dr. Yul Sohn (Discussant), Prof. Dr. Sook-Jong Lee (Discussant), Prof. Dr. Chaesung Chun (Discussant), Dr. Martin Thümmel (Discussant), Prof. Dr. Heike Holbig (Moderator)

The European Union and Germany are implementing strategies for cooperation in the Indo-Pacific. How does South Korea fit into the picture? In this GIGA Talk, we will present and discuss findings from a collaborative, policy-oriented research project examining the potential scope for closer cooperation therewith.

Prof. Dr. Patrick Köllner

Dr. Johannes Plagemann

Dr. Christian Wirth

Prof. Dr. Yul Sohn

Prof. Dr. Sook-Jong Lee

Prof. Dr. Chaesung Chun

Dr. Martin Thümmel

Prof. Dr. Heike Holbig

Seminar | 30/06/2022

Maritime Security Strategies in the Era of the Indo-Pacific

Maritime Security Strategies in the Era of the Indo-Pacific, Seoul KTX Station AREX-3, Seoul Prof. Dr. Patrick Köllner (Panelist), Dr. Christian Wirth (Panelist), Dr. Johannes Plagemann (Panelist), Ass. Prof. Dr. Min Gyo Koo (Organiser)

Patrick Köllner, Johannes Plagemann and Christian Wirth exchanged views with Korean university, think tank and media representatives in a joint maritime policy seminar of the SLOC Study Group-Korea and the GIGA. The event was co-sponsored by the Haesung Institute for Ethics in International Affairs.

Prof. Dr. Patrick Köllner

Dr. Christian Wirth

Dr. Johannes Plagemann

Ass. Prof. Dr. Min Gyo Koo

GIGA Forum | 17/05/2022

The War in Ukraine and the Global South: Perceptions, Reactions, and Implications

The War in Ukraine and the Global South: Perceptions, Reactions, and Implications, Online Event Organisers: German Institute for Global and Area Studies (GIGA) Prof. Dr. Eckart Woertz (Speaker), Prof. Dr. Matthias Basedau (Speaker), Prof. Dr. Heike Holbig (Speaker), Dr. Johannes Plagemann (Speaker), Prof. Dr. Victor Mijares (Speaker), Dr. David Kuehn (Moderator)

While most United Nations members quickly condemned Russia’s attack on Ukraine, a few actors in the Global South adopted a “neutral” stance. This GIGA Forum discusses how countries in Asia, Latin America, the Middle East, and sub-Saharan Africa perceive the war, are reacting to it, and what its consequences are for these states.

Prof. Dr. Eckart Woertz

Prof. Dr. Matthias Basedau

Prof. Dr. Heike Holbig

Dr. Johannes Plagemann

Prof. Dr. Victor Mijares

Dr. David Kuehn