The current crisis is not a crisis of confidence, nor is it purely financial in character. The current crisis is, above all, a device for domination, spoliation, and precarisation. What we witness today is the depredation and expropriation of common goods, of wealth, and of rights. What we need is a common social, fiscal, and budgetary policy.

With conventional oil production in decline, the global oil industry is investing heavily in dirtier and riskier forms of oil and also in unconventional resources, such as tar sands, and oil shale. All are difficult and costly to produce, usually more carbon intensive than conventional oil and may have calamitous long-term impacts on the local environment.

This year’s award winner is Yfaat Weiss, historian at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Weiss, so claimed the jury, points out the unusual course of Israeli history as well as the potential of civil society in her country. The prize will be presented on December 7th 2012 in the City Hall of Bremen 

The EU is facing a crisis. But this crisis is not only about a currency. When Europe’s citizens are only spectators while governments are taking decisions, democracy is in danger. To reduce this lack of democracy we do need a better election system, effective participation instruments for EU citizens and European referenda. 

The international dialogue project aims to engage young academics, activists and policy makers in a cooperative and creative debate. An important milestone in this process will be the Alternative Resource Summit in September 2013.

The idea of the existence of an illegal "state within the state" system is widespread within Turkey. There have been many attempts to prove and juristically contain this "deep state", but it seems like instead of searching for it in hidden places, one should look for it within the structures of the legal state.

At present, Afghanistan has turned into a focal point of agreements between Western and Eastern countries. These Strategic Partnership Agreements (SPAs) that Afghanistan has signed with many countries of the world, including Germany are deemed as vital achievement for the country.

The Kabul Documenta 13 has opened its gates on June 20th, to the Afghan public, preceded by an official opening ceremony that was attended by the Goethe Institute Afghanistan, donors, diplomats, a delegation of the Documenta 13 and, last not least, the artists themselves.

6th June 2012, youth policy in the biggest province of Pakistan is launched officially-- Thanks to Bargad Organization for the youth development, a long time of Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung.

This month, two events occur back-to-back: the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (“Rio +20”) in Brazil and the Group of 20 (G20) Summit, in Mexico.  This paper asks how the powerful G20 might influence outcomes of Rio+20.