Nigeria: A Dual Challenge Background Nigeria stands at the very brink of its own COVID-19 epidemic. However, the country has been in the grips of serious crisis for weeks: the collapse in oil prices has led to brutal budget cuts and provokes a recession in the country, which depends heavily on oil exports. The timing could not be worse in view of the forthcoming pandemic challenges. By Jochen Luckscheiter
Russia: Pechenegs, Polovetzians and the coronavirus Background President Vladimir Putin is facing the greatest challenge of his political career: the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic in Russia is expected to peak in the next few weeks. Johannes Voswinkel, Head of our Moscow office, reports on timid action, an unexpected crisis manager and the fears of breaking into the reserves. By Johannes Voswinkel
Leave no One Behind Commentary Erik Marquardt got a first-hand impression of the inhuman conditions in the Moria refugee camp, where more than 20,000 people live in the most miserable conditions. An outbreak of coronavirus would be devastating. In order to draw more attention to this issue, he has co-created the Leave no One Behind campaign. By Erik Marquardt
Syriaʹs crisis within a crisis – coronavirus could hit hard Background The corona pandemic has reached Syria. Anna Fleischer, Program Coordinator for Syria, explains why the virus could hit the country extremely hard and above all endanger those imprisoned. By Anna Fleischer
The social dimension of the coronavirus crisis in the USA Analysis The coronavirus crisis is leading to massive social distortions in the US. It is increasing the existing structural inequalities and discriminations in the US economy and society. By Bastian Hermisson
“The Pandemic Is Deepening the Divide" Interview For the highly indebted developing countries, the corona pandemic accelerates the debt crisis. An interview with Barbara Unmüßig from the Board of the Heinrich Böll Foundation about the latest developments.
Flying blind: Myanmar in the Covid-19 crisis Commentary With low testing rates, but rising numbers of infections, Myanmar’s government is virtually flying blind trying to get on top of Covid-19 with a lockdown. The collapse of clothing exports to Europe has led to a sharp rise in unemployment, while armed conflicts continue, mostly in Rakhine State, and critical coverage of it has become a criminal offence. By Axel Harneit-Sievers
Dreaming of freedom and working towards it Portrait The film “They Also Had Dreams. Dagestan Women Tell about Their Lives” is dedicated to Aishat Magomedova, who devoted her life to the betterment of Dagestani women. By Joanna Barelkowska
The Hong Kong way to combat Covid-19: “Take things in our own hands” Background The SARS pandemic in 2003 still lives vividly in the memory of Hongkongs citizens. Therefore, the Hongkongers responded quickly when the first cases of COVID-19 appeared. What did the city learned about crisis management? Which impact did the collective memory has regarding the virus spreading? By Lucia Siu
Facts and figures on the transition to sustainable mobility Dossier In this dossier, you will find articles, including numerous infographics, on game changing technologies, policies, and concepts: new driving technology and e-Mobility, multimodality and flexible public transit, the transformation of the automotive sector, the politics transportation in the EU transportation policy and solutions for sustainable tourism. By Dr. Stefanie Groll