Sexual violence is a global problem affecting all cultures and religions Ten experts from eight different countries share their views and perceptions of the assaults committed on New Year’s Eve in Cologne. A contribution to the ongoing debate on sexualised violence and harassment in Germany. By Ines Kappert, Dr. Antonie Nord and Simon Ilse
Parliamentary elections 2015 in Poland: trends and tactics When analysing the structure of party supporters and the shifts in their preferences, parliamentary elections 2015 in Poland can be seen as a reversal of several trends which have already shaped the Polish politics since 1989. By Waldemar Wojtasik
From “Carpet bombing” to “beautiful safe zones”- the presidential candidates on Syria Syria and the fight against ISIS is the dominating foreign policy topic in the current U.S. presidential debates. The discourse on no-fly zones and efforts to topple Bashar al-Assad show that divisions run deep and beyond party lines. By Dominik Tolksdorf
The Toxic Water of Flint Engulfed in an environmental scandal about lead-contaminated drinking water, the city of Flint, Michigan, has come to epitomize the decrepit state of America’s infrastructure, environmental racism, and mismanagement at the hands of public authorities. By Bastian Hermisson
Yes to fracking, no to renewable energies? The need for a forward-looking U.S. energy policy Without active U.S. participation in the global energy transformation, reaching the goals agreed upon in Paris will be almost impossible. If nothing else will convince the majority in the U.S. Congress, then the China factor should. By Ralf Fücks
How the Bangla-Pesa tapped the Value of an Informal Community What if a poorer community created its own currency to foster social exchange? We interviewed Ruddick, the founder of the Bangla-Pesa to learn more about his remarkable experiment in community-based money. By Will Ruddick
Agenda 2030: A new path for all? In September 2015, leaders from 193 countries gathered in New York to adopt 17 Sustainable Development Goals. In this speech, Barbara Unmüßig analyzes, why these goals are not yet a paradigm shift. By Barbara Unmüßig
Farm Hack: A Commons for Agricultural Innovation In 2011, a community of farmers, designers, developers, engineers, architects, roboticists and open source thinkers came together in Boston, Massachusetts, to explore a simple yet radical idea – that great improvements in agriculture could be achieved by reducing barriers to knowledge exchange. By Dorn Cox
How I Have Been Conducting Research on the Commons Without Knowing It Making commons come alive again in everyday life seems like a revolution that can be interpreted through two lenses. Is it a rediscovery of precapitalist and prestate organizational principles or is it a break with the current political order? By Étienne Le Roy
Negotiating Iranian Politics: Rouhani’s Reform Agenda After the United States and the European Union have lifted economic sanctions on Iran, the country can expect major economic rewards and greater interaction with the international community. This is a success for Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, under whose leadership Iran complied with its obligations under the international agreement to restrict its nuclear program. By Rouzbeh Parsi