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The new right-wing populism is not the rehearsal of something old but a new political phenomenon – and it is here to stay. In this, the new right-wing populism is the severest challenge to the European project since the beginnings of European integration. 

In spite of formal efforts, people of the LGTB population are still subjects to discrimination and are not being treated equally in Serbia. The analysis of media contents shows periodically repeated incidence of homophobic, patriarchal patterns. Media actors have to become aware of their responsibility, and of the impact of public words on the society.

During economic downturns, the debate about the limits of growth becomes increasingly important. The "décroissance" movement, which originated in France, proposes a departure from the model of a society based on a perpetually growing economy. Advocates of "decroissance" argue against growth in favour of “having less to live better” and propose an economic degrowth. 

The cold December fired up Hungarian politics. For days, thousands of students marched on the streets to protest against the government’s plans to drastically cut higher education spending. The demonstrations resulted in a defeat for Viktor Orbán, with his government being forced to withdraw its reform plans.  

Women's soccer is slowly gaining ground in parts the Lebanese society. The sport is not only empowering young women, but also helps building bridges between the different religions and sects in the country. But it's still a long way to go until it will be recognized by the media and be accepted by society as a whole.

The “Everything but Arms” trade initiative should bring benefit to the poeple of Cambodia, but the opposite is the case. Illegal methods were established to make profits out of the duty-free export of sugar. Even though there is a EU resolution emphasizing the critical escalation of human rights abuses and land grabbing due to the export of agricultural products, the resulting efforts of the EU are poor.

Expectations for the climate summit in Doha were so low that it is quite remarkable that the meager results still managed to fall short of them. Many NGOs condemned the conference as a failure. The EU and Germany called it an important step in the right direction. A summary of the results of the climate conference in Doha.

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.