International Politics

Over the last three years, the transatlantic alliance has demonstrated a largely remarkable unity in its support for Ukraine. But the future of US policy under President Trump is particularly uncertain. Given this context, this paper explores how the European Union and its Member States could adjust their Ukraine and NATO policies.

As the sovereign debt crisis in the Global South continues to unfold, the lack of involvement of multilateral development banks (MDBs) in debt relief efforts has become a contentious issue among major creditors. This report aims to contribute to the ongoing debate over debt relief negotiations and MDBs and makes policy recommendations how to include MDBs better in debt relief.

Two-pager of the detailed synthesis report "Green hydrogen: Key success criteria for sustainable trade & production"

Based on national consultations in African and Latin American countries, this report examines benefits and risks for local communities and the envisaged exporting countries located in the Global South. It outlines international policy recommendations for how a human-rights based, equitable, just, and environmentally sound trade should work.

In the coming years, the global energy system will have to undergo a profound structural change in order to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. (Green) hydrogen will play an important role in this. This publication provides an easy-to-understand introduction to the topic. It informs about trends in the production and use of hydrogen and the potential challenges.

Nuclear weapons remain at the core of modern security strategies, and all great powers of the 21st century rely on nuclear deterrence to some extent. A workshop organized by the European Leadership Network (ELN) focused on the impact of new and disruptive technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) or Quantum Computing on nuclear decision-making. The major findings of the workshop are summarized in this report.

Over the past few decades, market-based finance has become central to the global financial system. Huge volumes of financial instruments are traded on a daily basis. In an effort to improve access to global financial markets for African countries, the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) – in cooperation with the asset management firm PIMCO – has proposed setting up a Liquidity and Sustainability Facility (LSF). This is designed to create a Special Purpose Vehicle to subsidise private sector investment in African sovereign debt. The LSF would be financed by official development assistance (ODA), multilateral development banks and/or by the central banks of members of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

China and the EU are currently negotiating a new, far-reaching investment treaty called the EU-China Comprehensive Agreement on Investment (CAI). This scoping paper focuses on the potential risks for the EU from enshrining rights for Chinese investors in Europe in an international investment treaty.

The work shows that in the discourse on transformation and sustainability in the fight against the constantly advancing climate change, a systematic integration of the issues of social inequality and the global creation of decent livelihoods are absolutely necessary.

This report proposes a Debt Relief for Green and Inclusive Recovery Initiative as an ambitious, concerted, and comprehensive debt relief initiative that frees up resources to support recoveries in a sustainable way, boosts economies’ resilience, and fosters a just transition to a low-carbon economy.

This edition of Perspectives tackles questions of state capture, and how the concept can contribute to understanding and strengthening democracies across Africa. Our contributors also open the possibilities that emerge when “state capture” is released from particular institutional settings and national boundaries.