The global digital transformation is changing the way we live and work, as well as how states relate to each other. Our researchers analyse the ensuing opportunities and challenges in the Global South and explore emerging instruments of state–society interactions and foreign policy, such as digital diplomacy, and cyber-sanctions, including anti-fake news laws. 

Democracy builds on common principles such as elections, a division of power, and the rule of law. In practice, democratic institutions often underperform due to executives overstepping the mark, conflicts and power struggles causing a stalemate in the policy process, as well as governance instability.

It is not only non-democratic regimes that resort to authoritarian practices. They can increasingly be found in use also in formally democratic states, as the examples of shrinking civic space, populism, and democratic backsliding show.

Religion is a key facet of society and affects politics and socio-economic development in a multitude of ways. In the name of religions, terrorist attacks are committed, armed conflicts are fought, and xenophobia is justified. At the same time, religion can also be a vital contributor to peace. Our research explores the interplay between religion and security.  

Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine once again raises the question of sanctions’ effectiveness. Economic sanctions are a popular foreign policy tool for addressing a wide range of international issues, including armed conflict, human rights violations, and terrorism. 

How do geopolitics, populism, and global power relations influence international climate politics? Our researchers analyse these interdependencies and examine how countries of the Global South can promote sustainable development to engender fairer and more effective climate policy worldwide. 

Approximately 80 million people worldwide are currently displaced due to war or political violence. Millions more have fled their homes because of environmental disasters and socio-economic marginalisation. As there is no immediate end in sight, forced migration is one of the most pressing challenges facing world politics today. We focus on the causes of this phenomenon in our study regions. 

The Indo-Pacific has emerged as the world’s economic and strategic centre of gravity, an area in which established and rising powers are now heavily competing with one another. Our work particularly emphasises the perspectives of actors (both governmental and non-governmental) in the Indo-Pacific. Learn more about the GIGA’s research on this mega region. 

The global digital transformation is changing the way we live and work, as well as how states relate to each other. Our researchers analyse the ensuing opportunities and challenges in the Global South and explore emerging instruments of state–society interactions and foreign policy, such as digital diplomacy, and cyber-sanctions, including anti-fake news laws. 

In Hamburg, memories of the protests surrounding the 2017 summit of the G20 still resonate. Evaluating the Group’s 2024 meeting in Brazil, we discuss how it has evolved over the past few years and whether it can serve as the gold standard for global cooperation in an increasingly multipolar world.

After the elections in the United States, uncertainty surrounds the future of sanctions and economic coercion in global security. In this GIGA Talk, experts will discuss the prospects for continued transatlantic collaboration, the evolving design of sanctions, and steps to bolster the international legitimacy of these tools.

The experts at this roundtable address the result of the US Presidential Election. Together with GIGA’s international guests, we unpack what it means for the world. How does the change in the highest US office influence the different world regions, and how do these view what lies ahead?

The Co-LABorate workshop, “Preserving and Transferring Indigenous Knowledge in a Digital World,” will convene global experts, leaders, and activists to explore key challenges and opportunities in preserving and sharing indigenous knowledge through digital innovation.

This event will officially launch and highlight selected insights from the Sustainable Global Supply Chains Report 2024 on “Decent Work in Global Supply Chains”.

The 29th webinar of the Franco-German Observatory of the Indo-Pacific, hosted by the CERI, features Dr Kelly A. Grieco of the Stimson Center in Washington. She will speak about the integration of defence Industries and US hegemony. Is an Indo-Pacific military-industrial complex in the making?

Do perceptions of “peace” shape migration aspirations in conflict-affected societies? Discover insights from a groundbreaking study across three continents.

This event launches the first-of-its-kind online tracker of the patterns and trends of anti-fake news lawfare in six countries of South and Southeast Asia and their countermeasures.

This talk will discuss whether and how China-related power shifts have unfolded at the UN over the last two decades, focusing on the UN's three main pillars. It also covers UN relations with China’s Belt and Road Initiative and more recent Chinese attempts to promote the Global Development Initiative.

Whether regarding drugs, trade, or migration, Mexico has been repeatedly criticised, cajoled, and threatened by Trump on the campaign trail. On the eve of his inauguration, this GIGA Talk will highlight the challenges facing Mexico with a second Trump presidency and discuss its readiness to resist those pressures.

The third MIASA Policy Conference “Dealing with conflict, preparing for sustainable peace” will provide space for exchange between researchers, policymakers and other key stakeholders in sustainable peace-making to present and discuss state-of-the-art research and its policy implications. Emphasis will be given to African perspectives on intervention practices and peacebuilding efforts on the continent, drawing on insights from both research and practice.

In nur zehn Tagen haben aufständische Gruppen unter Führung der islamistischen HTS die Diktatur von Präsident Assad gestürzt. Syrer:innen weltweit feiern und eine Rückkehr scheint in greifbare Nähe gerückt. Doch wie sieht die Zukunft Syriens aus? GIGA-Expert:innen diskutieren. Video jetzt verfügbar.

Launching our report on Global Perspectives on Responsible Economic Statecraft we discuss how economic tools can be used to navigate geopolitical tensions, balance diverging interests, and contribute to more stability through forward-looking and proactive strategies.

In Hamburg, memories of the protests surrounding the 2017 summit of the G20 still resonate. Evaluating the Group’s 2024 meeting in Brazil, we discuss how it has evolved over the past few years and whether it can serve as the gold standard for global cooperation in an increasingly multipolar world.

After the elections in the United States, uncertainty surrounds the future of sanctions and economic coercion in global security. In this GIGA Talk, experts will discuss the prospects for continued transatlantic collaboration, the evolving design of sanctions, and steps to bolster the international legitimacy of these tools.

The experts at this roundtable address the result of the US Presidential Election. Together with GIGA’s international guests, we unpack what it means for the world. How does the change in the highest US office influence the different world regions, and how do these view what lies ahead?