Articles

El Salvador’s President, Nayib Bukele, is attempting to respond to the ongoing violence in the country by declaring a state of emergency. Critics see this predominantly as a militarisation of politics and a further step towards the breakdown of democracy.

Russia’s aggression threatens not just those states it sees as its enemies. It also threatens our life in peace, the guarantee of civic and human rights, freedom and democracy. None of these can be taken for granted, as Russia’s war is being waged against the very principles that lie at the heart of our community, writes Czechia's Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský.

New Delhi's indirect support to the Russian position is not a product of Russian pressure. Neither is it about its genuine belief about Russia’s legitimate interests in Ukraine. Rather, it is the result of a desire to safeguard its own interests, strategic vulnerability and 'non-alignment'- a cultural foreign policy ethos that prevails in Indian thinking.

This article provides an overview of how Russia's war of aggression on Ukraine is being viewed and assessed in various regions and countries in Asia, and how the governments there are positioning themselves and reacting: in the Southeast Asian ASEAN countries, in Northeast Asia, and in India, China, and Myanmar.

The Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland not only remains a matter of contention in UK-EU relations but is also very much an issue that divides opinion in Northern Ireland. Polling data that we have collected allows us to see what concerns voters in Northern Ireland most about the Protocol, how opinion has evolved since the start of 2021, and the nature of the divisions that exist over it. It also shows how voters want those who won seats in the Northern Ireland Assembly elections on 5 May 2022 to vote in 2024 on the endurance of core elements of the Protocol. 

The invasion of Ukraine has shocked Japan. The country participates in the sanctions against Russia. Still, people in Japan look at the war in Europe against the backdrop of security threats in their Northeast Asian region, says Akira Kawasaki, a peace activist with the Japanese NGO Peace Boat. He sees opportunities for civil society action even under current war conditions.

A satellite image-based investigation by Vertical52 reveals the extent of child labor in illegal mines in India that produce mica, a critical mineral for the tech industry. The research illustrates the need for stricter rules for companies like the ones the EU proposes in its draft directive on corporate sustainability due diligence. The investigation also shows that comprehensive solutions have to go beyond import bans and corporate liability.

On Monday 25 April 2022 in Istanbul, Turkish philanthropist and civil society activist Osman Kavala was sentenced to life in prison, marking a new low in Turkey’s downward slide into authoritarianism since at least 2013.

On Monday night, a surprise draft ruling by conservative Justice Samuel Alito was released in the U.S. indicating that a majority on the Supreme Court wants to reverse the legalization of abortions. Ella Müller, director of the Democracy Programme at the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung Washington, DC, puts this impending caesura and the political developments behind it in context.

This year, Indonesia holds the presidency of the G20. During the preparations for the upcoming summit in November 2022 in Bali, how does Indonesia navigate growing controversies amongst the G20 member states concerning the Russian aggression towards Ukraine?