International Relations

Georgia and the EU are standing at a historic crossroads. Which factors affect their abilities to bring the membership bid on track, and what should the EU’s response look like?

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.

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 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.

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.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine tragically continues with brutal shelling of civilian targets, escalating into a humanitarian catastrophe. At the forefront of all this is the masculinity of war which caused these horrors in the first place, and which allows for ignoring the voices of Ukrainian women at all levels.

By banning the work of German political foundations, the Russian leadership is purposefully trying to block an essential, independent channel of communication between our societies. We deeply regret this further escalation by the Russian authorities. We will maintain contact with all those who are working courageously, creatively, steadfastly and with conviction for a different, peaceful and democratic Russia.

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.

This former Soviet republic, located between Ukraine and Romania, is now the target destination of many refugees from southern Ukraine. The largely rural Republic of Moldova is one of the poorest countries in Europe. Julian Gröger, coordinator of cultural and environmental projects in the capital of Chişinău, reports on the effects of the war in Ukraine on this country of 2.5 million inhabitants.