International Relations

Trump's return is a wake-up call. Germany and Europe must lead a new era of global cooperation - grounded in fairness, shared interests, and long-term partnerships with the Global South.

Karol Nawrocki of the Law and Justice party (PiS) narrowly won Poland’s presidential run-off—dealing a serious blow to Donald Tusk’s pro-European coalition government. What does this mean for Polish politics, the EU, and the balance of power in Warsaw? In this Böll·Europe Podcast episode we focus on the run-off of the presidential election in Poland, which took place on Sunday 1 June 2025. Our guest is Maciej Makulski, Head of Europe and International Politics at the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung's Warsaw office.

South Korea’s presidential election on 3 June 2025 took place amid intense political upheaval and institutional crisis. Widespread public discontent over corruption scandals, executive-judiciary tensions, and democratic backsliding had dominated the pre-election atmosphere. The victory of Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung sends a strong signal about the public’s expectations for reform, stability, and credible leadership, in a context of rising regional and global tensions, challenges to multilateralism, and growing pressure on liberal democracies. We asked 3 questions to Kristian Brakel, Director of the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung’s East Asia | Global Dialogue office in Seoul.

We deeply mourn the loss of our esteemed colleague Dr Antonie Katharina Nord, who passed away on 18 May 2025 after a long illness. In various roles, most recently as head of the International Department, Antonie shaped the work of the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung like few others. With her death, the foundation has lost an impressive leader and a clever strategist, but above all, a humorous and warm-hearted human being. We are struggling to comprehend this profound loss.

A deeply unpopular government agonises over whether to break its own rules or keep cutting budgets, writes Ros Taylor.

It’s never all doom and gloom. Even when political developments feel heavy and the broader context darkens, light still finds a way through. Over the past weeks, we’ve seen some encouraging signs.

As Argentina teeters between economic upheaval and political realignment, President Javier Milei’s radical reforms are being put to the test. From dismantling anti-corruption institutions to surprising electoral wins in Buenos Aires, the stakes are rising fast — both at home and abroad. We speak with Michael Álvarez Kalverkamp, Director of the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung’s Buenos Aires office, to unpack what Milei’s ultra-libertarian agenda means for Argentina’s future.

As Europe seeks to redefine itself, it was Ukraine that dominated international discussions at the European Political Community (EPC) Summit—despite the fact that, for the first time, the event was hosted in Albania, a Western Balkan country. Very little was said about the region itself, and even that only on the media sidelines.

This May invites a moment of reflection. We mark Europe Day and 75 years of the Schuman Declaration, a proposal that laid the foundation for what would eventually become the EU. We also commemorate 80 years since the end of World War II, and 70 years since Germany joined NATO. These dates remind us of how our continent’s institutions have woven diverse countries together in peace, prosperity and shared values.

Populist and far-right parties across Europe share many of the same traits, says Ros Taylor. But Reform has not yet embraced the pro-natalist agenda of a lot of its counterparts.