Diplomacy & Defense Think Tank News

Le festival de cinéma européen ArteKino, organisé par la chaîne Arte, se tient en ligne jusqu'au 31 décembre. Douze films européens disponibles en français, allemand, anglais, espagnol, polonais et italien seront départagés par les votes du public.

Jusqu'au 17 avril 2022, le Centre Pompidou de Málaga propose une monographie de l'œuvre de Sophie Calle, artiste plasticienne française. L'exposition met en lumière près de quarante années de création, à travers des photographies, des textes brodés, des œuvres visuelles et sonores qui illustrent les thèmes qui sont chers à l'artiste, tels l'intime, les relations amoureuses et l'absence.

Le centre d'art contemporain Deichtorhallen à Hambourg dédie jusqu'au 24 avril 2022 une rétrospective à Tomi Ungerer à l'occasion du 90e anniversaire de la naissance du peintre et dessinateur français décédé en 2019. Plus de 400 travaux sont présentés dans une exposition baptisée : "C'est une question de liberté".

Exposées sur les grilles du Quai d'Orsay tout au long du mois de décembre, des photographies révèlent l'importance des cafés comme lieux de vie, de création, mais aussi de débats, de retrouvailles entre amis et de rencontres. Symbole de la culture européenne, c'est dans les cafés que sont nés les plus grands mouvements littéraires, culturels et artistiques européens. A travers la présentation de quelques-uns des cafés les plus mythiques d'Europe, l'exposition retrace aussi l'histoire de la formation des grands mouvements politiques, de résistance et de réflexion des derniers siècles.

La fête des Lumières de Lyon se tient du 8 au 11 décembre, avec au programme 30 projets artistiques lumineux répartis dans toute la métropole lyonnaise sur quatre jours.

La foire d'art contemporain de Prague fête son 20e anniversaire du 7 au 12 décembre et présente 190 œuvres d'art originales venues du monde entier.

Le musée Maillol à Paris présente du 9 décembre au 29 mai 2022 une rétrospective des photographies de Steve McCurry. Pour la première fois à Paris, 150 clichés grand format retracent 40 années de carrière à travers le monde.

Le travail de l'artiste et photographe Ada Zielinska est exposé au musée d'art contemporain de Wroclaw du 9 décembre au 7 mars 2022. L'artiste utilise l'écart social et économique présent dans les années 80 entre la Pologne et l'Italie pour donner une version déformée de l'idéal de la vie sur les côtes italiennes.

L'écrivain et historien spécialiste de la période napoléonienne, Thierry Lentz, et la dessinatrice, Fanny Farieux, publient une biographie à la fois historique et humoristique de Napoléon Bonaparte dans une bande-dessinée intitulée "Napoléon. La biographie inattendue" aux éditions Passés/Composés.

Die breite Solidarisierung mit Polen, die innerhalb der EU aufgrund der Krise an der Grenze zu Belarus aktuell zu beobachten ist, ändert nichts am Grundsatzkonflikt in der Frage der Rechtsstaatlichkeit. In den vergangenen Monaten hat Polen Rechts­prinzipien der Union offen in Zweifel gezogen. Es ist nicht zu erwarten, dass die amtierende polnische Regierung effektive Maßnahmen zur Wiederherstellung der Unabhängigkeit der Justiz ergreifen wird. Wenn es dabei bleibt, wird die EU ihre Finanztransfers an Polen wie an Ungarn substantiell einschränken müssen. Auch die horizontale Anwendung von EU-Recht wird gegenüber Polen auf wachsende Vor­behalte stoßen. Zum Schutz des europäischen Gemeinwesens müssen politisch an­gespannte Beziehungen zu Polen indes in Kauf genommen werden. Die neue Bundesregierung hat das Ziel, die Verteidigung der Rechtsstaatlichkeit zu priorisieren, in ihrem Koalitionsvertrag niedergelegt. Sie sollte daran festhalten.

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On December 2nd, IPI hosted a Global Leaders Series event featuring H.E. Mr. Moussa Faki Mahamat, Chairperson of the African Union Commission.

The African Union Commission (AUC) is integral to the promotion of sustainable peace and democratic governance on the African continent. These priorities and initiatives serve as a foundation for collective action, from pursuing regional integration at the political and economic levels to championing governance, development, and peace as interrelated normative and policy agendas. To further support these priorities and advance Africa’s interests on the global stage, the AUC has strengthened its partnerships with Africa’s regional economic communities and mechanisms, the United Nations, and other regions and countries.

The AUC’s upcoming twentieth anniversary and its recently completed institutional reforms offer a moment for reflection on recent progress and ongoing challenges. Despite tangible progress in recent years, African countries continue to confront structural and proximate threats to collective peace and security. Exclusive political leadership detracts from the consolidation of democratic-governance institutions and inclusive economic development, testing social contracts and giving rise to civic unrest. The COVID-19 pandemic is still reverberating across the continent and straining already fragile economies and domestic social structures. Climate degradation is exacerbating already significant humanitarian needs and amplifying the pressures of rapid urbanization and a majority-youth population. The continent’s aspirations to silence all guns and end armed conflicts have been weakened by fragile political agreements, transnational security and criminal threats, and rising geopolitical tensions that undermine the prospects for sustained multilateral action.

IPI’s Global Leaders Series discussion with H.E. Mahamat will focus on contemporary peace and security trends on the African continent as well as opportunities and priorities for strengthening sustainable peace and democratic governance over the coming years. It will also provide an opportunity to reflect on the African Union’s role as a multilateral institution supporting continental peace and security and its efforts to strengthen Africa’s geopolitical effectiveness and unity.

H.E. Moussa Faki Mahamat, now in his second term as Chairperson of the African Union Commission, has held this position since January 2017. H.E. Mahamat has previously served in multiple official capacities for the Republic of Chad, including as Prime Minister and Head of Government, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Director of the presidential cabinet, and President of the country’s Economic, Social and Cultural Council. He also chaired the Security Council in December 2014, including the general debate on December 19, 2014 on “threats to international peace and security: cross-border terrorism and crime.” H.E. Mahamat chaired the Peace and Security Council of the African Union in September 2013 and steered the Extraordinary Summit on Antiterrorism in Ouagadougou.

This event was moderated by Dr. Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, President and CEO of IPI.

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IPI in partnership with the Government of Qatar, hosted on December 2nd a virtual policy forum entitled “From Glasgow to Sharm El Sheikh: Accelerating Climate Finance.”

COP 26 delivered an outcome representing incremental progress on climate change. While this outcome is a step in the right direction is not enough to avert the most devastating consequences of climate change. Climate and the COVID-19 pandemic has further increased the need for climate finance: the world now faces the worst economic crisis since the Second World War, causing loss of revenue and rising debt, especially in the countries that are most in need. At this event, we hope to discuss possible ways in which the financial system can align with the Paris Agreement. To stay below 1.5C, finance will be a critical component in unlocking greater ambition on mitigation and increasing trust among countries.

Opening Remarks:
H.E. Mr. Abdulla Shahid, President of the 76th Session of the UN General Assembly

Speakers:
H.E. Mr. Osama Mahmoud Abdel Khalek Mahmoud, Permanent Representative of the Arab Republic of Egypt to the UN
H.E. Mr. James Kariuki, Deputy Permanent Representative of the United Kingdom to the UN
Mr. Selwin Hart, Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on Climate Action and Assistant Secretary-General for the Climate Action Team
Ms. Rachel Kyte, Dean of The Fletcher School at Tufts University
Ms. Jimena Leiva Roesch, IPI Senior Fellow and Head of the Peace and Sustainable Development Program

Closing Remarks:
H.E. Sheikha Alya Ahmed Bin Saif Al-Thani, Permanent Representative of the State of Qatar to the UN

Moderator:
Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, IPI President

Grüner Wasserstoff wird als wichtiges Element einer globalen Energiewende gesehen. Die großen Mengen an Wasserstoff, die im Industrie- und Verkehrssektor der Industrieländer zur Dekarbonisierung eingesetzt werden sollen, können klimaverträglich vor allem in Entwicklungsländern erzeugt werden. Costa Rica gehört zu den potentiellen Erzeugerländern, und kann recht schnell auf eine steigende Nachfrage reagieren. Ein besonderer natürlicher Standortvorteil ist, dass Solar- und Windenergie, Wasserkraft und Geothermie große Potentiale aufweisen und in unmittelbarer geographischer Nähe auch umfangreiche Mengen an Wasser für die Elektrolyse zur Verfügung stehen. Gleichzeitig hat das Land gut qualifizierte Arbeitskräfte und auch leistungsfähige Einrichtungen der Forschung und Entwicklung. Dies ist besonders in einer frühen Phase wichtig, wenn viele Elemente und Prozesse einer Wasserstoffökonomie sich noch zwischen großtechnischer Demonstration und Implementierung befinden. Das Papier plädiert dafür, dass Costa Rica nicht ausschließlich auf den Export von grünem Wasserstoff setzt, sondern gleichzeitig auch lokale Nutzungsmöglichkeiten in den Blick nimmt. Damit können die Treibhausgasemissionen des Landes weiter gesenkt, Importe fossiler Energieträger substituiert und Beschäftigung aufgebaut werden.

Grüner Wasserstoff wird als wichtiges Element einer globalen Energiewende gesehen. Die großen Mengen an Wasserstoff, die im Industrie- und Verkehrssektor der Industrieländer zur Dekarbonisierung eingesetzt werden sollen, können klimaverträglich vor allem in Entwicklungsländern erzeugt werden. Costa Rica gehört zu den potentiellen Erzeugerländern, und kann recht schnell auf eine steigende Nachfrage reagieren. Ein besonderer natürlicher Standortvorteil ist, dass Solar- und Windenergie, Wasserkraft und Geothermie große Potentiale aufweisen und in unmittelbarer geographischer Nähe auch umfangreiche Mengen an Wasser für die Elektrolyse zur Verfügung stehen. Gleichzeitig hat das Land gut qualifizierte Arbeitskräfte und auch leistungsfähige Einrichtungen der Forschung und Entwicklung. Dies ist besonders in einer frühen Phase wichtig, wenn viele Elemente und Prozesse einer Wasserstoffökonomie sich noch zwischen großtechnischer Demonstration und Implementierung befinden. Das Papier plädiert dafür, dass Costa Rica nicht ausschließlich auf den Export von grünem Wasserstoff setzt, sondern gleichzeitig auch lokale Nutzungsmöglichkeiten in den Blick nimmt. Damit können die Treibhausgasemissionen des Landes weiter gesenkt, Importe fossiler Energieträger substituiert und Beschäftigung aufgebaut werden.

Grüner Wasserstoff wird als wichtiges Element einer globalen Energiewende gesehen. Die großen Mengen an Wasserstoff, die im Industrie- und Verkehrssektor der Industrieländer zur Dekarbonisierung eingesetzt werden sollen, können klimaverträglich vor allem in Entwicklungsländern erzeugt werden. Costa Rica gehört zu den potentiellen Erzeugerländern, und kann recht schnell auf eine steigende Nachfrage reagieren. Ein besonderer natürlicher Standortvorteil ist, dass Solar- und Windenergie, Wasserkraft und Geothermie große Potentiale aufweisen und in unmittelbarer geographischer Nähe auch umfangreiche Mengen an Wasser für die Elektrolyse zur Verfügung stehen. Gleichzeitig hat das Land gut qualifizierte Arbeitskräfte und auch leistungsfähige Einrichtungen der Forschung und Entwicklung. Dies ist besonders in einer frühen Phase wichtig, wenn viele Elemente und Prozesse einer Wasserstoffökonomie sich noch zwischen großtechnischer Demonstration und Implementierung befinden. Das Papier plädiert dafür, dass Costa Rica nicht ausschließlich auf den Export von grünem Wasserstoff setzt, sondern gleichzeitig auch lokale Nutzungsmöglichkeiten in den Blick nimmt. Damit können die Treibhausgasemissionen des Landes weiter gesenkt, Importe fossiler Energieträger substituiert und Beschäftigung aufgebaut werden.

This study explores to what extent the COVID-19 crisis affects the long-term prospects for industrial development. The focus of the study is on latecomer economies – those facing an uphill battle because they joined global markets at a point in time when other economies had already established global production networks.
In a first step, we analyse how the prospects for industrialisation are changing, mainly as a consequence of three global megatrends: digitalisation and automation of production; global economic power shifts; and the greening of economies. These trends create new opportunities for latecomer industrialisation, but they also raise entry barriers to markets, especially for country with weak innovation systems.
We then explore COVID-19 effects through the analytical lens of the pre-COVID megatrends. While the pandemic has had a severe impact on the world economy, such impacts will not change the ongoing trends fundamentally. The ongoing recovery from COVID-19 is not showing much structural transformation – despite many voices demanding to “build back better”. Yet, the pandemic is accelerating or decelerating some of the previous trends. One is the trend towards online trading. The dominance of international trading platforms may lead to concentration in “upstream” activities such as manufacturing, crowding out weaker market actors. At the same time, platform economies are boosting delivery activities, such as courier services. Another trend that may be accelerated by the pandemic is towards the reshoring of previously offshored productive tasks, yet, evidence here is mixed, and we may see other risk-hedging strategies rather than large-scale reshoring. We may also see the gap between dynamic economies in East/Southeast Asia and other developing regions widening, because the former recovered faster due to vaccination programmes and fiscal stimulus packages. Regarding the greening of economies, some major economies initiated green fiscal stimulus packages, accelerating for example the development of global green hydrogen economy. Also, the trend towards tele-work is reducing emissions from the transport sector. Overall, however, the pandemic does not seem to alter the ongoing, but slow, progress towards greener economies.   
We conclude with police recommendations in five domains: i) Fostering economic resilience through economic diversification; ii) the need to develop pharmaceutical and medical supply industries in all countries; iii) increased investments in digital capabilities, including the ability to regulate platform economies; iv) strengthening domestic revenue generation to increase policy space and resilience, including pro-environmental fiscal reforms; and v) improving international governance e.g. in the domains of intellectual property rights and technology-sharing.

This study explores to what extent the COVID-19 crisis affects the long-term prospects for industrial development. The focus of the study is on latecomer economies – those facing an uphill battle because they joined global markets at a point in time when other economies had already established global production networks.
In a first step, we analyse how the prospects for industrialisation are changing, mainly as a consequence of three global megatrends: digitalisation and automation of production; global economic power shifts; and the greening of economies. These trends create new opportunities for latecomer industrialisation, but they also raise entry barriers to markets, especially for country with weak innovation systems.
We then explore COVID-19 effects through the analytical lens of the pre-COVID megatrends. While the pandemic has had a severe impact on the world economy, such impacts will not change the ongoing trends fundamentally. The ongoing recovery from COVID-19 is not showing much structural transformation – despite many voices demanding to “build back better”. Yet, the pandemic is accelerating or decelerating some of the previous trends. One is the trend towards online trading. The dominance of international trading platforms may lead to concentration in “upstream” activities such as manufacturing, crowding out weaker market actors. At the same time, platform economies are boosting delivery activities, such as courier services. Another trend that may be accelerated by the pandemic is towards the reshoring of previously offshored productive tasks, yet, evidence here is mixed, and we may see other risk-hedging strategies rather than large-scale reshoring. We may also see the gap between dynamic economies in East/Southeast Asia and other developing regions widening, because the former recovered faster due to vaccination programmes and fiscal stimulus packages. Regarding the greening of economies, some major economies initiated green fiscal stimulus packages, accelerating for example the development of global green hydrogen economy. Also, the trend towards tele-work is reducing emissions from the transport sector. Overall, however, the pandemic does not seem to alter the ongoing, but slow, progress towards greener economies.   
We conclude with police recommendations in five domains: i) Fostering economic resilience through economic diversification; ii) the need to develop pharmaceutical and medical supply industries in all countries; iii) increased investments in digital capabilities, including the ability to regulate platform economies; iv) strengthening domestic revenue generation to increase policy space and resilience, including pro-environmental fiscal reforms; and v) improving international governance e.g. in the domains of intellectual property rights and technology-sharing.

This study explores to what extent the COVID-19 crisis affects the long-term prospects for industrial development. The focus of the study is on latecomer economies – those facing an uphill battle because they joined global markets at a point in time when other economies had already established global production networks.
In a first step, we analyse how the prospects for industrialisation are changing, mainly as a consequence of three global megatrends: digitalisation and automation of production; global economic power shifts; and the greening of economies. These trends create new opportunities for latecomer industrialisation, but they also raise entry barriers to markets, especially for country with weak innovation systems.
We then explore COVID-19 effects through the analytical lens of the pre-COVID megatrends. While the pandemic has had a severe impact on the world economy, such impacts will not change the ongoing trends fundamentally. The ongoing recovery from COVID-19 is not showing much structural transformation – despite many voices demanding to “build back better”. Yet, the pandemic is accelerating or decelerating some of the previous trends. One is the trend towards online trading. The dominance of international trading platforms may lead to concentration in “upstream” activities such as manufacturing, crowding out weaker market actors. At the same time, platform economies are boosting delivery activities, such as courier services. Another trend that may be accelerated by the pandemic is towards the reshoring of previously offshored productive tasks, yet, evidence here is mixed, and we may see other risk-hedging strategies rather than large-scale reshoring. We may also see the gap between dynamic economies in East/Southeast Asia and other developing regions widening, because the former recovered faster due to vaccination programmes and fiscal stimulus packages. Regarding the greening of economies, some major economies initiated green fiscal stimulus packages, accelerating for example the development of global green hydrogen economy. Also, the trend towards tele-work is reducing emissions from the transport sector. Overall, however, the pandemic does not seem to alter the ongoing, but slow, progress towards greener economies.   
We conclude with police recommendations in five domains: i) Fostering economic resilience through economic diversification; ii) the need to develop pharmaceutical and medical supply industries in all countries; iii) increased investments in digital capabilities, including the ability to regulate platform economies; iv) strengthening domestic revenue generation to increase policy space and resilience, including pro-environmental fiscal reforms; and v) improving international governance e.g. in the domains of intellectual property rights and technology-sharing.

Decision-making in the Council of the EU during the Covid-19 pandemic