Intl. Politics - Heinrich Böll Foundation

International Politics

Photo: b00nj. Licence: Creative Commons BY-SA-NC 2.0. Original: Flickr

Introduction

International Politics

After the end of the cold war foreign and security policies have been subject to rapid change. This development has been further accelerated after September 11. Traditional security policies such as deterrence and containment have been replaced by risk prevention, crisis intervention, and preemptive policy measures.

Increasingly questions of foreign, security, and developmental policy have become intertwined.
The debates surrounding the war on Iraq have brought to the surface tensions between the USA and Europe – as well as within Europe itself. Against this background we would like to continue the debates on the future of transatlantic relations - and this against the background of new security policy risks, crisis prevention, and preemptive policies.

Concerning EU and European policy our focus is mainly on the following areas: Democracy and participation in the European Union; ecology and sustainable development; EU enlargement; a common European foreign and security policy; and the future of work and of social policy.

Foreign Affairs and Security

Lecture

In the Name of Prosecution: Striking a balance of the International Criminal Court’s work in the first decade

February 11, 2013 - "It is not enough for a court to just produce legal debates in the courtroom, and to be ignored in the management of massive violence." In her lecture, Fatou Bensouda, chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), comments on the achievements and challenges of an international criminal justice system. Fatou Bensouda more»

Photos of the event

Conference Report

Democracy and security in the Middle East – How are Germany and the EU responding to the upheavals in the Arab world?

- December 18, 2012 -

The Arab Spring, which was welcomed euphorically two years ago, has now given way to a sobering political reality. At our 13th Annual Foreign Policy Conference in early November, numerous policymakers and experts from Germany and elsewhere discussed ways of interacting with political Islam, the geopolitical context of the Arab Spring, and possible strategies for action by the EU.

Torsten Arndt more»

Serdiukov’s Downfall, Putin’s Illness and the Consolidation of the System

- December 12, 2012 - Rumours spread after Minister of Defence Serdiukov's sudden fall from grace: Was not only the fight against corruption the reason? Should Putin be suffering from an illness that might explain why he started consolidating his power? Jens Siegert more»

Qatar’s Shifting Regional Role

- November 26, 2012 - Qatar must be regarded as an established regional and international actor. It played a key role in supporting the Arab Spring movements and it is now hosting the UN climate summit COP18. Salman Shaikh gives an overview of Qatars ambitions and priorities. Salman Shaikh more»

Resource Governance

Dossier Resource Governance

To Have and Have Not - Resource Governance in the 21st Century

Transparent, sustainable, fair, and just governance of natural resources is a key for peace and sustainable development worldwide. “To Have and Have Not – Resource Governance in the 21st Century” is an international civil society Memorandum. more»

Photo: ShellyS (photo is under the creative commons licence Attribution-Non-Commercial-Share Alike 2.0 Generic)

Research Project

From Money to Metals

- Despite the current financial "crisis" investors are pouring money into mining companies and projects, with potentially negative consequences for thousands of communities around the world. Launched in 2008, and now available as a regularly-updated data base, "From Money to Metals" is a vital resource to discover who is funding what, and where, in one of the most potentially destructive of all global industries. By Nostromo Research, 2009. more»

Dossier

Log, Stock and Barrel - Financial Institutions in the Resource Sector

- Financial institutions play a major role in the exploitation and trade of natural resources. Over the years activists and organisations worldwide have used a variety of strategies to address these issues. The objective of the dossier Log, Stock and Barrel - Financial Institutions in the Resource Sector is to collect information on financial institutions, their role in the resource sector, and put together mechanisms, tools and strategies to address policy issues.

Oil Slick, Foto: arbyreed, Quelle: flickr.com, Lizenz: CC BY-NC 2.0

Dossier

Unconventional Oil: A Challenge for Local Communities

- With conventional oil production in decline, the global oil industry is investing heavily in dirtier and riskier forms of oil and also in unconventional resources, such as tar sands, and oil shale. All are difficult and costly to produce, usually more carbon intensive than conventional oil and may have calamitous long-term impacts on the local environment.

Christopher Walker more»

After spring comes? Recent development investments into the MENA region

- October 31, 2012 - In the wake of the Arab Spring, G8 countries and other nations have pledged major sums to stabilize the region. These financial and economic support packages could also fail to stabilize the region. Successfully managing the wide range of risks involved in the region requires addressing vulnerabilities directly in order to turn what will be a low-carbon and resource-constrained future from a risk into an opportunity. Sabrina Schulz more»

World Trade

Interview

Resource Governance: "China's quota system is transparent"

January 4, 2011 - China is the world leader in exports of rare earths, which are mainly used for the production of hi-tech products. The Heinrich Böll Foundation talked with Dr. Zha Daojiong, a professor at the School of International Studies of Peking University, about the important raw materials and the role of China.
more»

Heinrich Böll Stiftung India with partners at the Asia Europe People’s Forum

- December 7, 2010 - During the official Asia Europe Meeting in Brussels in October, our office in Delhi joined organizing the Asia Europe People’s Forum. This civil society forum strives to advance people’s voice in shaping Asia Europe relations and questions the neo-liberal ASEM agenda on grounds of citizen’s rights, economic, social, political and environmental justice. A report By Shalini Yog more»

Seoul: The 4th G20 summit takes place in the capital of South Korea.

The G20 Summit in Seoul - A turning point?

- November 10, 2010 - The G20 Seoul summit is discussing the most important issues of the global economy. This article presents the dynamic among G20 members on exchange rates, institutional reform, and global rebalancing. Sandro Gianella more»

Europe and Transatlantic

Notes on the current phase of electoral reform in Hungary

December 17, 2012 - After passing the Electoral Procedure Act, we are still far from knowing the final rules less than a year and a half ahead of the next parliamentary elections. However, the new electoral system turns out to be a measure of the governing party to increase its chances of winning the 2014 general election, while oppositional parties will be forced to organise their activist network and engage in a door-to-door campaign more effectively than before. Róbert László more»

The Crisis as Opportunity for Greater Sustainability and Distributive Justice

- December 10, 2012 - The debt and financial crisis in Europe has accentuated three major areas in need of reform: national debt, the stability of the financial system, and the unbalanced distribution of incomes and wealth. There are instruments of reform that could work effectively for all three areas. Simon Wolf more»

The Story of the "Hungarian Orange"

- November 23, 2012 - Berlin-based Hungarian artist Artúr van Balen has travelled to Hungary to join the opposition protests in Budapest on the 23rd of October. With the help of around 15 artists and activists van Balen created the "Hungarian Orange", a 5 meter long, 3.5 meter high inflatable lemon, which they brought to the protests. But not everyone was amused by the playful object. Artúr van Balen more»

Clinton Misses Another Opportunity to Arrest Bosnia’s Downward Spiral

- November 21, 2012 - It was the second visit of Hillary Clinton in Bosnia and Herzegovina without any positive outcome. Unfortunately, the situation will surely deteriorate further and chances for helping the country to become a really functioning and democratic state will grow smaller Kurt Bassuener more»

Report

Conference: Europe’s Common Future

- November 7, 2012 - During the three years of Europe’s crisis many supposedly rock-solid certainties about the European Union have been shaken up. Today, even dedicated Europeans do have to admit that, in its present shape, the EU may be one of the casualties of the crisis. At our conference Europe’s Common Future such concerns about a possibly disastrous failure of the Eurozone were palpable. Torsten Arndt more»

18.2.	"Allein unter Deutschen" - Lesung und Gespräch mit Tuvia Tenenbom
21.2.	„A Lot Like You“ - Filmabend und Diskussion - Filmreihe “Her Stories - Filmmakers with African Roots”
28.2.	Green Lecture mit Rob Hopkins: Transition – Modell für eine zukunftsfähige Lebensweise? - Internationale Vortragsreihe zu Zukunftsfähigkeit, nachhaltiger Entwicklung und Ressourcengerechtigkeit Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung, Berlin
6.3.	Symposium: Im Bann der sinnlichen Natur - Wege in eine lebensfördernde Gesellschaft
14.3.	„The Place in Between“ - Filmabend mit Diskussion - Filmreihe “Her Stories - Filmmakers with African Roots”
22.- 24.3.	Energize, Polarize, Mobilize! Human Rights, Participation, Activism, Internet. - International Workshop Conference Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung, Berlin
9./10. 4.	Energiewende – Think European! - International Conference Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung, Berlin
17.5.	„Footprints of my Other“ - Filmabend und Diskussion - Filmreihe “Her Stories - Filmmakers with African Roots”
13.6.	Kurzfilme von Afro-Europäischen Fimemacherinnen - Filmreihe “Her Stories - Filmmakers with African Roots”
1.- 11.9.	Chicago - Hamburgs Partnerstadt in den USA

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