Publications

Will QUAD change the security architecture in the Indo-Pacific?

Diplomatic dialogue and practical cooperation on security challenges in the Indo-Pacific

The Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (QUAD) between the United States, Japan, Australia, and India is a flexible cooperative forum that responds to growing geopolitical challenges in the Indo-Pacific. With initiatives in areas such as maritime security, technology and climate change, QUAD aims to promote a rules-based order and counter China's influence. Through close cooperation between the four democracies, QUAD could have a lasting impact on the region's security architecture.

The Team for “America First”

Trump Relies on Experienced Foreign Policy Experts and Loyal Ideologues

Donald Trump's second term as U.S. President is highly anticipated around the world. His announcements are expected to have a global impact: mass expulsions, territorial claims, intensified confrontation with China, and a possible withdrawal from multilateral organizations. But who are the experienced foreign policy experts and loyal ideologues the 47th US President will rely on to help implement his plans? We take a look at his closest advisors on foreign, security, and economic policy.

The Turkestan Islamic Party Takes Aim at China

What’s behind the threats from Uighur Islamists in Damascus?

The escalating rhetoric of the Turkestan Islamic Party (TIP) highlights their ambition to expand their fight beyond Syria and target China directly. With increasing propaganda and connections to global terrorist networks, the TIP presents a growing challenge to Beijing’s security and its strategic interests, particularly in Xinjiang and along the Belt and Road Initiative.

What a second Trump Administration will mean for multilateralism, in particular International Geneva

The "Geneva Telegram" deals with events in Geneva's multilateral organizations on a current topic, this time the possible impact of a second Trump Administration on International Geneva.

A new president for Lebanon in crisis

After more than two years of deadlock, the office of president has been filled again. The first step on a long road to state renewal?

Lebanon has a new president. With 99 out of 128 votes, Joseph Aoun, the former military commander-in-chief of the Lebanese army (LAF), was elected as the country's 14th president by the Lebanese parliament on 9 January. This was preceded by intensive international mediation efforts, diplomatic pressure and internal Lebanese debates on how and with whom the two-year-long vacancy in the presidential palace could be ended.

In|vo|lun|ta|ri|ly ce|li|ba|te (Incel)

A misogynistic threat to internal security – on the potential danger of the misogynist incel scene

The term incel stands for involuntarily celibate and describes men who define themselves by their inability to establish sexual and romantic relationships with women. The incel scene is characterised by a strong misogynistic and anti-feminist ideology. Members of the community believe in a world view characterised by the doctrine of ‘Pills’. On this ideological basis, they spread misogynistic content in dedicated forums, but also on social media, and deliberately distort the general discourse by spreading anti-feminist content.

Another new government in France: renewal through continuity?

On 23rd December 2024 the Prime Minister François Bayrou presented his government. After the Borne, Attal and Barnier governments, it was the fourth government in France in 2024.

On 13 December 2024, Emmanuel Macron appointed François Bayrou, the leader of the Mouvement Démocrate (MoDem) party, a loyal ally of the Macron governments, as the new Prime Minister to succeed Michel Barnier in a further attempt to restore political stability in France. Bayrou's government is relying on continuity with a bourgeois-conservative cabinet and experienced figures from previous governments, but this casts doubt on its capacity for political renewal. Bayrou's centrist legacy and controversial compromises also raise questions about the coherence and strategic direction of his team. Bayrou has not succeeded in integrating the left-wing camp into a government alliance during the nominations, and the influence of the Rassemblement National on political decisions still appears to be strong. Whether his government is therefore more capable of taking action than the Barnier government remains questionable.

Policy Atlas ‘Renting, Buying, Living’

An overview of key housing policy measures

The basic provision of housing for people and wealth creation in the form of home ownership are central pillars of prosperity and social justice. The issue of providing adequate and affordable housing is acute. It affects almost everyone and is characterized by a high degree of complexity and multidimensionality. (Socially acceptable) housing must be created quickly and efficiently, because housing policy is social policy, labor market policy, economic policy, energy and climate policy, innovation policy, urban development policy and much more.

International talent for the German middle class

Measures to improve skilled immigration

German small and medium-sized companies face challenges in attracting skilled labor from Non-EU-countries. Despite reforms in immigration law, skilled labor immigration to Germany remains low. What measures and policies are needed to strengthen international talent acquisition in German SMEs?

Research nation China

Partner, competitor and systemic rival

Over the last two decades, the People's Republic of China has developed into a leading technology nation and is on its way to becoming a global ‘science superpower’. Although the systemic rivalry with the People's Republic of China is increasingly taking centre stage in the public debate, such as the dual-use potential of research cooperation, China's role as an important partner should not be underestimated, particularly with regard to the large number of talented individuals and modern research facilities.