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Soumya Chaturvedi joined the GIGA as a Doctoral Researcher in October 2025. The title of her dissertation is: “Agency amid structural dependence: How systemic energy transitions shape the foreign policy of emerging powers”. Learn more about Soumya in this interview.

Syriens Übergangsregierung ringt um die Kontrolle über den Sicherheitssektor. Die Armee beendete Anfang 2026 weitgehend die kurdische Autonomie in Nordsyrien. Droht neuerliche Gewalteskalation? Wie schützt man Minderheiten? Welche Rolle spielen USA, Israel und Türkei? Und was kann Europa bewirken?

At the India AI Impact Summit in February 2026, Narendra Modi signalled India’s ambition to shape global AI governance. While access to AI technology and control over key models were discussed, issues such as rising electricity demand and potential job losses remained unaddressed, GIGA researcher Dr. Sangeeta Mahapatra states in her comment.

You want to learn more about Chinese foreign policy and the role experts can exert on it? In This GIGA China talk, we will discuss with Sabine Mokry how the role of Chinese experts has changed under Xi Jinping and how, despite centralization of political power, scholars and think tankers can still exert influence on foreign policy.

Explore six PEACEptions infographics that map the Pillars of Peace across diverse country contexts. In one glance, see how security, human rights, and conflict-transformation institutions interact—revealing where peace holds, where it frays, and what could strengthen it for the long term.

For nearly 30 years, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has endured violent conflicts fuelled by the illegal exploitation of natural resources. This panel will examine why peace processes have faltered and explore pathways to lasting peace. This seminar is organised by KAS scholarship holders in cooperation with the GIGA.

China’s Global Security Initiative projects its stability-focused security model abroad. How do East Africa, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East perceive the GSI? What does this mean for the future of the international security order? And how should Germany and the EU best respond?

Together with the University of Hamburg, we are advertising the position of GIGA Presidency in combination with joint Professorship.

We have compiled some analyses and background information from our experts on the conference’s key programme topics, ranging from sanctions and power shifts in the Indo-Pacific to questions of global order and security policy.

The United States is preventing oil from entering Cuba. Without these shipments, Cuba will find itself in an existential crisis, and the socialist government will be forced to negotiate with the United States. Following his recent visit to Cuba, GIGA expert Prof. Dr. Bert Hoffmann shares his impressions and provides important political context.

The GIGA seeks to appoint a Postdoctoral Research Fellow (m/f/d) in Latin American Politics Applications are invited for a full-time position, with an initial contract of three years and the possibility of another three years after successful evaluation and depending on the availability of funds.

Religion is crucial to understanding the violent clashes occurring between nomadic pastoralists and sedentary farmers over land and water in Nigeria. Neglecting this dimension prevents a holistic understanding of the crisis taking hold, hindering the development of effective and lasting solutions.

In Venezuela, the United States and the post-Maduro leadership are contesting what it means to “run the country.” But will there be a chance for a democratic opening? What impact will this have on the region? And will socialist Cuba survive losing its key ally and facing severe economic crisis?

Nach langen Verhandlungen gab es in dieser Woche einen Durchbruch im Freihandelsabkommen zwischen Indien und der EU. Angesichts der jüngsten US-Drohungen mit neuen Zöllen und der stockenden Ratifizierung des EU‑Mercosur-Abkommens kommt die Einigung zur rechten Zeit. GIGA-Experte Dr. Johannes Plagemann ordnet die handelspolitische und geopolitische Bedeutung des Abkommens ein.

Social media is often blamed for a recent trend of protest failure. We look into the youth-led iterations occurring from Asia to Africa to Latin America in recent years, their ultimate outcomes, and how social media has served to inspire and connect protest movements across countries and continents.

In 2026, trade negotiations with the US and EU will need to be balanced by India with the demands of its BRICS presidency amid a shifting global order. Complex ties with China and the US, state elections, and tensions with the South Asian country’s diverse neighbours will test the ruling government.

With Maduro‘s arrest by US forces, Trump’s sanctions on President Petro, and crucial elections ahead, Colombia faces unprecedented challenges. This GIGA Talk examines how the peace process, drug trafficking, and US–Venezuela tensions will shape Colombia‘s political future and Germany‘s engagement with the country.

Mikael Hiberg Naghizadeh joined the GIGA as Research Fellow in September 2025. He holds a DPhil in International Relations from the University of Oxford and completed a one-year postdoctoral fellowship at the Harvard Kennedy School before joining GIGA. Get to know more about Mikael in this interview.

China and Venezuela’s long-standing alliance faces its toughest test yet after Maduro’s arrest. From oil-for-loans deals to digital surveillance and military cooperation, Beijing now risks losing influence as Washington moves to assert dominance over Caracas.

The GIGA Institute for Latin American Studies invites applications for a one-month visiting fellowship in Hamburg. The fellowship supports advanced research on Latin American politics and encourages scholarly exchange and collaboration.

Mass protests in Iran persist despite the use of lethal force by the Islamic Republic against those taking to the streets. GIGA researchers Hamid Talebian, Diba Mirzaei, and Houssein Al Malla provide further insight into what informs current events.

Trump’s ultra-aggressive claim to South America as the United States’ exclusive zone of influence changes the region’s political coordinates. The GIGA analyses the ongoing stand-off in Venezuela, the role of China, Latin America’s upcoming elections, and other key events and trends to watch in 2026.

Since the “Twelve-Day War” with Israel, Iran has undergone transformations on multiple levels. This GIGA Forum ONLINE explores how the conflict has reshaped regional and international politics, state–society relations in Iran, and the prospects for the Islamic Republic’s future.

Africa enters 2026 at a crossroads: entrenched autocrats clash with Gen Z protests, debt crises threaten major economies, Western retreat meets Chinese and Russian expansion. Yet African states will seek to leverage critical minerals and strategic partnerships to assert agency amid global rivalries.

A panel of experts discussed the risks of democratic backsliding in Indonesia under President Prabowo Subianto, the sources of resistance and the implications for Germany’s strategic choices. Read on to learn more about the highlights of the discussion.