International Relations

Poland takes on the EU Council Presidency in January 2025. What does this role mean, and what challenges lie ahead? Our latest article explores the key context and what to expect during this pivotal six-month period.

After the elections in the United States on 5 November 2024, the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung Washington, DC office reached out to the global network of Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung offices to hear how the second Trump administration will impact countries and progress on green issues across the world.

In 2023, Javier Milei, a self-described “anarcho-capitalist” surprised Argentina’s political establishment and won the presidential elections. He’s an admirer of US President-elect Donald Trump and of tech mogul Elon Musk, and his political platform is characterised by hash austerity and a very conservative social agenda. Using the rulebook of other illiberal regimes throughout the world when it comes to political communications and dealing with pluralism, his style and policies are making waves worldwide. What is going on in Argentina and what are the implications for human rights, digital rights and the environment?

Under Trump and his radicalised Republican Party, the US is entering into an era of authoritarianism. In the country itself, there is a real threat of state control over private life issues and a political apparatus of persecution. In future, foreign policy will be shaped by Trump's relations with autocrats.

The 2025 Anne Klein Women’s Award goes to the Belarusian feminists and women’s rights activists Darya Afanasieva, Irina Alkhovka and Julia Mickiewicz. All three, the women’s and human rights activist Irina Alkhovka, the feminist blogger Darya Afanasieva and the feminist activist and politician Julia Mickiewicz, are victims of officially sanctioned persecution and repression, which has forced them into exile in Europe from where they are continuing their gender democratic activism.

The COP negotiations in Baku brought together global leaders, activists, and stakeholders amidst a tense geopolitical climate. With the influence of authoritarian leaders, ongoing debates over climate finance, and the presence of civil society under challenging conditions, the outcomes of this year’s talks were far from predictable. MEP Lena Schilling reflects on the key dynamics that shaped the negotiations and offers insights into the path forward for international climate action.

What a show these last couple of weeks have been. The return of Donald Trump, the rupture of the German federal government, and then the ridicule of the Commissioner-designate hearings in the European Parliament. Challenges are rising, but stable majorities in Europe are eroding. It is increasingly difficult to build consensus and have a stable centre of political gravity.

On 18 July 2024, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen was elected for a second mandate and presented to the European Parliament her Political Guidelines for the next European Commission. A new European Commission will kick-off its work on 1 December 2024, after its approval by the European Parliament. We take a look at von der Leyen's promises for the first 100 days (and beyond) of the new European Commission.

Before and after the U.S. elections, Chinese analysts raised concerns about trade tensions, global governance, and American democracy. This briefing reviews U.S. policy toward China since Trump's presidency and recent Chinese expert commentary.