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The dossier "Tibet Background" was arranged by the sinologist Tanja Plötz. From March 2002 to February 2008 she was working on the subject of environmental education as part of the German-Chinese development cooperation in Beijing. During that time, she was also conducting a series of projects in cooperation with the office China (Beijing) of the Heinrich Böll Foundation. Tanja Plötz has worked freelance since March 2008.Contact: tangjia[at]gmx.net

The bulk of the media and parts of the intelligentsia, after first coming to terms with the Congress Party system, now prefer the two multiparty coalition systems: the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) or the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), even when the UPA is only going in for post-poll alliances with its erstwhile colleagues. The one thing that worries the media is a Third Front.

Despite the hopes of a bi-nodal party system since 1998, a secular alternative, reduced from being the second option in 1977 to the Third Front within a decade, has not ceased to linger in the background. It remains a parking space for satraps in search of greater role in national politics than their regional space would afford them.

"Oh I think it is a great day for freedom … you can see the joy on people’s faces and you see what freedom means to them, it makes you realise that you can’t stifle or suppress people’s desire for liberty." (Margaret Thatcher, former British Prime Minister) A article by

After the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks many expected the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to benefit in the general elections. This was based on both the party’s emphasis on security and on the assumption that the attack would stir up anti-Muslim sentiments.

After the collapse of the Historical Archive of Cologne we spoke with René Böll, son and representative of the heirs of Heinrich Böll about the consequences for the estate.

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.

Report on the NATO Conference, March 6/7, 2009, Berlin, including the keynote address by Jürgen Trittin: „Does NATO Have a Future?“

Africa speaks up on Climate Change is an appeal about the threat climate change poses to Africa. Immediate political action is needed. The film Hotspot Africa shows how severe the problems really are.

The government of Turkey sees the World Water Forum of critical importance for its water policies. If the policies discussed during the preparatory meetings of the World Water Forum and announced on the website of the DSI are to be implemented, Turkey is likely to face a severe ecological and social crisis.

The growing need for water and the methods of using water resources frequently come to the fore in public debate in Turkey. However, work in the area of water use in Turkey is afflicted with a series of contradictions. Gökmen Yalςin explains the situation and gives recommendations.

The two most significant result of the 2009 provincial elections in Iraq are: Iraqis are not prepared to grant carte blanche to politicians whose main pitch is ethno-sectarian. And: The elections were held with minimum support from US forces and proved that Iraqis are able to organise nation-wide elections by themselves.

The world has invested heavily in big dams, sacrificing rivers, land, forests, fisheries and communities in exchange for power and water supply. Nevertheless, dams continue to be promoted and funded in countries by institutions like the China Exim Bank and the World Bank. The text explains the consequences and shows better ways for decision-making.

Ümit Sahin gives examples of water privatisation and shows differents ways to deal with water.

The 5th World Water Forum took place in Istanbul from 16-22 March, 2009. The legitimacy of the World Water Forum is being seriously questioned by a number of non-governmental organisations. This dossier takes up the question of water and justice.

In the coming years, NATO will surely respond to international crises. Yet, NATO’s strategy should also take into account the two dominant security threats currently shaping the state of the planet: global climate change and energy security.

Moscow has, once and for all, abandoned the policies of Western integration promoted by Boris Yeltsin. The best way to deal with the situation constructively is to negotiate a new treaty on strategic arms, reach an understanding on missile defenses, give Ukraine a solid long-term European perspective - but desist from the NATO option.

When emerging Asia’s boom turned to bust in 1997, Thailand was famously on the vanguard of the regional collapse. Now with the United States and Europe repeating several of those same mistakes - albeit on a larger and more expensive scale – Thailand’s post-1997 crisis experience is back in the spotlight.

Capitalism, an economic system in which land, labour, production, pricing and distribution are all determined by the market, has a history of moving from extended periods of rapid growth to relatively shorter periods of contraction.

In traditional Tibetan society women were not involved in politics and government. A major shift has been made within the present Tibet in Exile Society. The Tibetan Women’s Association has significantly contributed to the development of the question of Tibet on the international level.

The Chinese government is frequently criticised for political oppression and human right violations in Tibet, particularly in three population-related areas: genocide, forced birth control programmes and population transfer. This paper aims to re-examine the myths and facts about the Tibetan population in China.

As a classical nationalistic dispute, the Tibet question pits the right of a people, Tibetans, to self-determination and independence against the right of a multiethnic state, the People's Republic of China, to maintain what it sees as its historical territorial integrity. Melvyn Goldstein gives us the historical lowdown.

A guide to the historical arguments made by the primary parties to the Tibet-China conflict, Elliot Sperling  discusses the arguments of both sides and shows that there is no clearcut right or wrong in this discussion.

NATO alone cannot stretch far enough to tackle the challenges we face. It must also be able to connect better with others. And if NATO is to both stretch and connect, its members will need to supplement static territorial defence with societal resilience and - a particular challenge for Germany - to develop the expeditionary capabilities necessary to enable NATO to act effectively.

The March protests in Lhasa and other Tibetan areas were meant to embarrass the Chinese government ahead of the Olympics. Separatists know they can count on the automatic sympathy of Western politicians and media. Barry Sautman strongly criticises the protests and argues that they had no progressive aspect.

The Czech EU Presidency was thrown right into the middle of the war in Gaza. And Czech politicians stumbled. Unlike the majority of their colleagues from Western Europe, who condemned Israel’s actions as disproportionate, the Czech prime and foreign ministers initially blamed Hamas for the conflict.

Is there a future for NATO? And, should the answer be in the affirmative, what might it look like? The question whether NATO is an outdated organisation or an indispensable alliance is a moot point. We hope that our conference and this dossier will help foster an enlightened debate on these issues.

Ukraine has chosen to pursue the political, economic and security norms of Europe. Those aspirations should not be held hostage to Russia.

A publication by offline:events in collaboration with independent Iraqi artists, filmmakers, and authors documenting the lives of Iraqis navigating the space between home and exile and lending Iraqi refugees and those living in exile a voice to express their realities and reflections inter alia on notions such as Homeland and Exile, East and West, and Identity.