Democracy

Some have labelled Russia’s war against Ukraine “the world’s first crypto war.” That might be overstating matters, but cryptocurrencies are certainly having an impact on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

6 April 2022 marks the 30th anniversary of the outbreak of the Bosnian War - the first war in Europe after World War 2. The reality in Bosnia and Herzegovina to this day is a succession of increasingly severe crises. The current war of aggression on Ukraine fuels the risk of destabilisation. The EU must support civil society and progressive parties in the country instead of continuing to seek deals with secessionist forces that deepen ethnic divides, dismantle the state and put peace at risk. On the 30th anniversary after the start of the war, we bring together positions of Bosnian civil society on German and European policies.

Voters critical of the Orbán system are too diverse to be locked into a single camp. As it seems, it was an illusion to suggest that the majority of former Jobbik voters can vote on a list with center-left parties. The maneuvering space of the fifth Orbán government will only be limited by economic and foreign policy necessities; domestically, it has an easier job than ever before.

Putin’s war in Ukraine seems to be rewriting everything in the Hungarian election campaign, except for the balance of power between the contestants – for now, at least. The ruling party remains the most likely to win the general election, but there is something else Orbán might also lose.

Wir suchen zum schnellstmöglichen Zeitpunkt, befristet bis zum 31.12.2024 ggf. mit Option der Verlängerung, eine/n Referent/in Internationale Demokratie in der Einheit "Global Support for Democracy" (w/m/d) im Büro Brüssel mit 39,5 Stunden/Woche, VG 5 (MTV). Die Bewerbungsfrist endet am 18. April 2022.

The National Assembly of Nicaragua has abolished by decree the legal personality of the partner organisation of the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung "Centro Humboldt" and other 24 non-profit civil society associations and organisations, effectively banning them.

In Turkey, where twenty years of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s rule has seen the country descend into authoritarianism, mainstream media is almost completely under Erdoğan’s control. Social media remains one of the only outlets for those opposing Erdoğan to voice their discontent. Since the 2013 Gezi protests, the AKP has been trying to control the narratives on social media by employing social media trolls: networks of fake accounts that disseminate propaganda for the AKP and targets the opposition. Studies show that these troll networks are becoming more sophisticated and are changing tactics. Fazıl Alp Akiş explains how.

With the UK now less attractive to EU students, British universities have successfully pivoted to the Anglophone world and Asia, writes Ros Taylor. But in an increasingly fearful and isolationist world, this strategy is risky.

The concept of “just transition” has so far arrived in Eastern and Southeastern Europe only as a fragment of nice environmental jargon. There is a lack of protagonists strong enough to create conditions for a more powerful social and political impact. In order to act within ecological limits and remain below a warming of 1.5° Celsius, we must also consume less. Until now, consumption, like growth, has been equated with well-being and prosperity.

Bosnia-Herzegovina wants to phase out fossil fuels by 2050. For the country, which is largely dependent on coal, this is a serious turning point. However, the word "transition", which is often used for this process, is rather hated by the population, because it is not associated with equality and justice, but rather with an enriching political elite.