Seven Megatrends in Energy Policy | Impending Paradigm Shift - International Climate Negotiations and their impact on EU Energy Policy | Critical Energy Infrastructure at Risk of Cyber Attack | Rio+20 – A Summit That Left Nobody Feeling Happy | Decision on the Rule of Law - Reasons for and Consequences of the Judgment “Mike Campbell vs. The Republic of Zimbabwe” | East Timor 2012: Elections in the Tenth Year of Independence
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Content
Energy policy
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Editorial of the issue "Energy policy"
It was a year ago that the German Federal Government was taking decisions intended to accelerate the energy transition. Today, people are discussing its practical implementation. The desire to move away from nuclear power is getting lost in political squabbling. And the energy transition indeed has its price. Efforts should be made to strive for a balance between security of supply, competitiveness and climate protection. However, all parties must realize that these objectives cannot be reconciled immediately
Other Topics
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Seven Megatrends in Energy Policy
Throughout history, energy has been the driving physical component of change; few other industries can claim to have had a more wide-ranging impact on society. Thus, critical questions revolving around the supply and demand of energy as well as its sustainability will continue to represent one of the biggest challenges of the 21st century. Seven megatrends in particular will determine the global energy landscape and energy policy agenda in the coming decades. The only true hope lies in technological innovation and a well-functioning market economy.
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Impending Paradigm Shift
International Climate Negotiations and their impact on EU Energy Policy
For many years, energy policy in Germany and in Europe has focused on the triangle of objectives comprising sustainability, security of supply and competitiveness as a consensual formula, which provides the basis for a constructive dialogue between all stakeholders. During the next few years, European energy politics will be characterized by disputes about interpretational sovereignty, which will focus on the future importance of the sustainability principle. There are a number of indications of an impending paradigm shift in European climate and energy politics.
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Critical Energy Infrastructure at Risk of Cyber Attack
Over recent years, cyber attacks and cybercrime have become a massive threat to industry and governments alike. They have caused worldwide losses amounting to hundreds of billions of Euros. According to former anti-terrorism advisor Richard Clarke,between 20 and 30 states have the capability to launch cyber warfare. Increasingly, governments find themselves under threat, along with their communication channels and infrastructures.
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Rio+20
A Summit That Left Nobody Feeling Happy
The results of the Rio+20 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development in Rio de Janeiro were relatively modest. The summit was overshadowed by other issues and events on the international political agenda. A predominance of controversial topics, inconvenient timing and Brazil’s somewhat unusual approach to negotiations resulted in a final conference declaration that was lacking any real ambition. However, the many initiatives and voluntary commitments that were announced during the course of the conference did generate a certain amount of hope.
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Decision on the Rule of Law
Reasons for and Consequences of the Judgment “Mike Campbell vs. The Republic of Zimbabwe”
Farmers and large landowners were threatened by expropriation without compensation by the Zimbabwean government under the so-called “Fast-Track Land Reform” (FTLR) shortly after the turn of the millennium. The Campbell case made the most significant contribution to drawing attention to the government’s departure from the rule of law, it also established risks to the future stabilization of the country: an undermining of trust in Mugabe’s regime and infection of the community of states in Southern Africa with a disregard for the rule of law.
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East Timor 2012
Elections in the Tenth Year of Independence
Many people in East Timor approached the election year of 2012 with unease. They feared a new eruption of violence if their country’s fragile stability was once again put to the test. But apart from a few incidents, both the two rounds of the presidential elections and the parliamentary elections passed off peacefully and were properly conducted. The new president is José Maria de Vasconcelos, alias Taur Matan Ruak. The post of prime minister continues to be held by Xanana Gusmão. In the tenth year of its independence East Timor is therefore taking a further step on the road towards democracy.
About this series
International Reports (IR) is the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung's periodical on international politics. It offers political analyses by our experts in Berlin and from more than 100 offices across all regions of the world. Contributions by named authors do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editorial team.
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Editor
Dr. Gerhard Wahlers
ISBN
0177-7521
Benjamin Gaul
Head of the Department International Reports and Communication
