The conflicts, social and political turmoils we have witnessed in the western Balkans in the last three decades were, in the minds of many leaders and participants, centred around collective identities whose differences allegedly could not be settled in a nonviolent way. And still, more then 20 years after the wars, patriarchal, homophobic and exclusive tendencies are dominating in the region, shaping a climate of intolerance, of exclusion, of the radical negation of all things humane and rational.
This issue of Perspectives is dedicated to climate change mitigation in the Western Balkans, because of both the global need to limit global warming but also because mitigating climate change, as the articles show, goes hand in hand with development both in terms of economic growth and in terms of health, wellbeing and societal development. With this context in mind, the articles before you shed light upon some of the commonly overlooked aspects of it but also point to solutions which are good starting points for any future changes in how we think of energy, development, and public good more broadly
On this issue of Perspectives, you will find stories written by citizens in the true meaning of that word. They describe what the “right for the city” means to them. Why they perceive their activism as fighting for a common rather than an individual right, and why they choose to fight for one of the most precious yet most neglected of human rights. Reading them, one learns also much about the perfidious ways those in power limit people’s right to the city.
The Alliance 90/The Greens Party has succeeded in taking over governmental responsibility in the majority of the 16 federal states. In this study the political scientist, Arne Jungjohann, has analysed Green government participation of previous years.
It is vital to intensify the work on an architecture for peace across Europe. The purpose of this report is to provoke further discussions on how this can be done without losing sight of the causes of the current crisis.
This edition of Perspectives seeks to explore how actors in the state, political parties, and civil society have been able to make those in government less certain about the future balance of power through and outside of the ballot box.
The future international security landscape will be critically impacted by the military use of artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics. Meaningful human control over weapon systems and the use of force must be retained.
Oil Giant Royal Dutch Shell has known about climate risks of fossil fuel production for six decades. As early as the 1980s Shell knew about their accountability for 4 % of global carbon emissions. Still, while pragmatically protecting their own offshore oil rigs from the dangers of sea level rise, Shell massively promoted climate denial and climate obstruction as the CIEL report shows.
This synopsis paper provides a summary and analysis of papers produced by the Heinrich Boell Foundation offices in eight countries: Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, India, Indonesia, Mexico and South Africa. The scope of this synopsis is limited to these countries and focuses primarily on the need for a transition to renewable energy in the context of economic growth and climate change.