The peace pact between the Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), agreed upon on August 24, 2016, to put an end to their 52-year conflict is a unique example of successful international peace-building. In a world seemingly tumbling back into the dark past of national egoism, it is a welcomed reminder […]
Ciénaga, Colombia’s sleeping colonial beauty on its way forward
Squeezed in between Colombia’s Caribbean capital Barranquilla and the coastal resort of Santa Marta lies the city of Ciénaga, a forgotten and largely malgoverned colonial beauty. At last, a new (tweeting) mayor may turn matters around. A city with a population of roughly 100,000 and a mean annual temperature of 34°C, Ciénaga’s traditional economic base is banana production, managed […]
Three unconventional lessons from #Brexit
Britain will be the first member state to walk away from the European Union, a not-even-close-to-perfect political project that nonetheless has been highly beneficial for Europe. As the dust settles, the ugliness of the entire Brexit campaign, its destructive scaremongering and willingness to bring about economic and political disaster become even more apparent. It has effectively […]
A follow-up on Kosovo: Projects that make a difference
Following up on a political delegation trip is no trivial task: Members of Parliament (MPs) return to their daily routines and (very) different political agendas, are again caught up in parliamentary skirmishes, and their tight schedules might simply not allow for time-consuming follow-up meetings. This time was different. The aforementioned visit to Kosovo, Europe’s youngest […]
A letter to The Economist: RB Leipzig and football’s imagined East-West tensions
Dear Editor, Your humorously headlined article on the rise of drink maker-funded RB Leipzig to the top-tier of German association football („Red Bull gives you wingers“, The Economist, May 14th-20th 2016) claims to shed some light on the East-West tensions that are, according to your subhead, „very much alive“. As much as I appreciate your newspaper providing some […]
Europe’s youngest state Kosovo: progress, setbacks and a new hope
What I had envisioned as a standard delegation trip to Europe’s youngest state, the Republic of Kosovo, with a cross-party group from the Landtag of North Rhine-Westphalia turned out to be a truly unique experience that encompassed insights into all relevant socioeconomic and political processes a society in transition has to offer. With a population […]
Alle sind für ein Bedingungsloses Grundeinkommen (BGE) … sie wissen es nur nicht
Das Bedingungslose Grundeinkommen (BGE), die Idee eines fixen Betrages, der allen Bewohnern eines Landes ohne Gegenleistung monatlich vom Staat überwiesen wird, ist mal wieder in aller Munde. Die Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung hat im Frühjahr 2016 eine Netzdebatte dazu initiiert und die Pro- wie Contra-Seite zu Wort kommen lassen. In der Schweiz findet im Sommer […]
Idomeni: a tool of deterrence
There is not much hope left in Idomeni, the refugee encampment of 10,000 something people. Everyone in Idomeni was expecting some kind of positive outcome from the first EU-Turkey summit, all in vain. Officially, there was no clear decision, although the infamous „Balkan route“ seems to have finally been shut down for every refugee. A […]
No money, no problems? German cash limit is just another surveillance tool
The German federal government, currently made up of a troubled Grand Coalition, has recently floated the idea of setting up an upper limit on cash usage. A limit of 5,000 euros on cash transactions is being discussed. Supposedly, the aim is to fight illegal money transactions, first and foremost terror financing and money laundering. A recent study commissioned […]
NRW goes Colombia! Warum eine Kooperation mit dem aufstrebenden Kolumbien richtig ist
Ende November 2015 unternahm Ministerpräsidentin Hannelore Kraft in Begleitung von NRW-Wirtschaftsminister Garrelt Duin und mit einer 30-köpfigen Delegation aus Politik- und Wirtschaftsvertretern eine einwöchige Reise in die südamerikanischen Länder Chile und Kolumbien. Kraft wolle die großen Potenziale für die NRW-Wirtschaft in Lateinamerika nutzen. Gut so! Denn Lateinamerika ist seit jeher eine von der deutschen Bundes- […]
