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

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

DEEN

Dr. Johannes Plagemann

Senior Research Fellow | Editor GIGA Focus Global

Dr. Johannes Plagemann

  • Short CV

    • Since 08/2023: Senior Research Felllow GIGA Institute for Asian Studies

    • 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

    Dr. Johannes Plagemann

    Senior Research Fellow / Editor GIGA Focus Global

    T. +49 (40) 428874-23[email protected]

    Publications

    GIGA Focus Global | 1/2025

    The Global South and German Foreign Policy under the Next Government

    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.

    Dr. Julia Gurol-Haller

    Research Fellow

    Dr. Johannes Plagemann

    Senior Research Fellow / Editor GIGA Focus Global

    The British Journal of Politics and International Relations | Sage | 02/2025

    Special Issue: Foreign Policy Signaling in the Indo-Pacific: Responses to the US-China Rivalry in a Multipolar World

    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'.

    Ass. Prof. Dr. Raphaëlle Khan

    Department of Political Science, The City College of New York

    Dr. Johannes Plagemann

    Senior Research Fellow / Editor GIGA Focus Global

    British Journal of Politics and International Relations | 2025

    Introduction to Special Issue: ‘Foreign Policy Signaling in the Indo-Pacific: Responses to the US-China Rivalry in a Multipolar World’

    With contributions from GIGA researchers and our network of partners working in and on the Indo-Pacific, this special edited by Dr. Johannes Plagemann and Dr. Raphaëlle Khan (City College of New York) explores the often ambiguous foreign policy signals in this geopolitically contested world region.

    Dr. Johannes Plagemann

    Senior Research Fellow / Editor GIGA Focus Global

    Chapter in Edited Volume | 2025

    Populism and the Centralisation of Foreign Policy Decision-Making: Paths and Patterns

    Populist leaders claim to embody the popular will and greatly personalize their countries’ policy processes. The chapter outlines patterns of centralization in foreign policy making with reference to populist governments in Bolivia, India, Italy, and the Philippines.

    Dr. Johannes Plagemann

    Senior Research Fellow / Editor GIGA Focus Global

    Prof. Dr. Sandra Destradi

    Former Associate

    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

    Prof. Dr. Miriam Prys-Hansen

    Research Projects

    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

    Media Contributions

    ARD-Podcast Welt.Macht.China | Interview | 27/05/2025

    Grenzkonflikt im Himalaya: Warum streiten China und Indien?

    Die Rivalität zwischen Indien und China hat sich in den letzten Jahren zugespitzt, auch weil Grenzstreitigkeiten ungelöst blieben. GIGA-Wissenschaftler Dr. Johannes Plagemann diskutiert die Beziehungen der zwei bevölkerungsreichsten Staaten der Erde im ARD-Podcast Welt.Macht.China.

    Deutschlandfunk Kultur | Interview | 09/05/2025

    Asien-Experte: Indien hätte im Krieg mit Pakistan kaum etwas zu gewinnen

    Der Konflikt zwischen Indien und Pakistan verschärft sich. DLF Kultur im Gespräch mit GIGA-Wissenschaftler Dr. Johannes Plagemann zu den Hintergründen. 

    ZEIT Online | Quote | 07/05/2025

    Was den Kaschmir-Konflikt so gefährlich macht

    Pakistan und Indien streiten seit 1947 um die Region, schon mehrfach ist der Konflikt zwischen den Atommächten eskaliert. GIGA-Wisschenschaftler Dr. Johannes Plagemann kommentiert die jüngsten Ereignisse in einer Analyse von ZEIT Online. 

    Lectures

    King’s College London | 05/06/2025

    UK-Europe Track 1.5 Indo-Pacific Dialogue 2025

    Organiser: King’s College London Prof. Dr. Patrick Köllner (Panelist), Dr. Johannes Plagemann (Panelist), Dr. Christophe Jaffrelot (Organiser)

    Patrick Köllner and Johannes Plagemann participated in the UK-Europe Track 1.5 Dialogue 2025, organised in cooperation with the Franco-German Observatory of the Indo-Pacific. They addressed in their presentations the modalities of and the challenges facing European approaches to the Indo-Pacific.

    Prof. Dr. Patrick Köllner

    Dr. Johannes Plagemann

    Dr. Christophe Jaffrelot

    German Institute for Global and Area Studies | 29/01/2025

    Franco-German Observatory Webinar on US Freedom of Navigation Operations

    Organiser: German Institute for Global and Area Studies Prof. Dr. Patrick Köllner (Organiser), Dr. Johannes Plagemann (Moderator), Ass. Prof. Dr. Raphaëlle Khan (Moderator)

    Patrick Köllner organised the 27th webinar of the Franco-German Observatory of the Indo-Pacific, featuring Brian C. Chao (Naval War College, US) and Hyun-Binn Cho (College of New Jersey) who address the topic of 'U.S. Freedom-of-Navigation Operations as Signals in the South China Sea'.

    Prof. Dr. Patrick Köllner

    Dr. Johannes Plagemann

    Ass. Prof. Dr. Raphaëlle Khan

    Workshop | 25/06/2024

    Book Workshop on Order and Agency in the Indo-Pacific

    Book Workshop on Order and Agency in the Indo-Pacific, GIGA, Hamburg Prof. Dr. Patrick Köllner (Organiser, Chair, Discussant), Dr. Johannes Plagemann (Discussant), Prof. Dr. David Camroux (Discussant), Ass. Prof. Dr. Nicolas Blarel (Discussant), Dr. Mohammadbagher Forough (Discussant), Dr. Christophe Jaffrelot (Discussant)

    This book workshop discusses chapter drafts for an edited volume put together by the Franco-German Observatory of the Indo-Pacific. Fourteen scholars based in France, Germany, and the Netherlands examine examine dynamics of order-building and the agency of small and middle powers in the Indo-Pacific.

    Prof. Dr. Patrick Köllner

    Dr. Johannes Plagemann

    Prof. Dr. David Camroux

    Ass. Prof. Dr. Nicolas Blarel

    Dr. Mohammadbagher Forough

    Dr. Christophe Jaffrelot

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