International Relations

Joint statement by the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung, the Robert Bosch Foundation, the Goethe Institute, the European Cultural Foundation and the Mercator Foundation to members of the Council of Europe, the European Parliament and the German Bundestag.

Eva van de Rakt, director of our Brussels office, interviewed Reinhard Bütikofer (Member of the European Parliament, Greens/EFA) about the US election results, the priorities of the Biden-Harris administration, and the future of the transatlantic relationship.

The election of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris is a significant victory for liberal democracy in the US and for a policy of compassion and cooperation. At the same time, the new government is facing a political pile of rubble full of enormous challenges.

On 31 October 2000, the UN Security Council adopted the Landmark Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security. On its 20th anniversary, this dossier portrays women from 20 countries that make a difference in peace and security.

We need a feminist Peace- and Security policy! – A discussion with Gitti Henschel and Monika Hauser, as part of our dossier "No Women - No Peace: 20th Anniversary of UNSC Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security".

Immediate ceasefire and negotiations for a sustainable peace process in Nagorno-Karabakh with EU support needed.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s first State of the Union speech showed an ambitious and a strategic approach to the many crises hitting Europe and the world. However, words are not enough. They must be backed up by actions and coherent policy measures.

Nowhere in Latin America are so many people killed by the police as in Brazil. But not everyone is equally affected by this. Society is divided between those people who “can be killed” and “good citizens”.

In the context of the Covid-19 crisis, the German Presidency of the Council of the European Union faces major challenges. Considering that the conditions and circumstances will constantly change, and that the EU will face increasing uncertainty and unpredictability, we need to reflect on how it should respond to vital challenges in the long term.

The toppling of the President of Mali by a group of officers demonstrates the failure of an anti-terrorism policy that disregards the population’s main issues. Charlotte Wiedemann, author of the study paper “Viel Militär, weniger Sicherheit” for the Heinrich Böll Foundation, on the chances of a new start after the putsch.