Palestinians in the Occupied Territories had been set to vote in the first legislative and presidential elections in fifteen years. But in a last-minute decision, President Abbas postponed the elections indefinitely. Once again, the Palestinian people are left in political limbo with unelected leaders, write Jørgen Jensehaugen and Erling Lorentzen Sogge
When states are criticised, they normally recognise, reject or counter the critique. Yet they could listen to and contain criticism without directly rejecting or recognising it. Using criticism of Norway’s Child Welfare Services as an example, Kristin Haugevik and Cecilie Basberg Neumann show that diplomatic containment can prevent conflict accelerating and then damaging bilateral relations […]
Over the past couple of years, the EU and the European Commission have stepped up security and defence policy cooperation. Calle Håkansson argues that the European Commission's new role blurs the traditional dichotomy between intergovernmental and supranational decision-making
Diplomatic tensions between Poland and Belarus intensified throughout March 2021. In response, Belarusian authorities initiated repressive legislation targeting civil society and protestors. But in so doing, they also affected national minorities in Belarus, writes Hanna Vasilevich
Germany has developed into a hugely diverse country, but Angela Merkel’s centre-right CDU is still grappling with this reality, writes Isabelle Hertner. Over Merkel's 16-year Chancellorship, her party has been torn between pragmatic immigration policy, and the demand for cultural assimilation
International travel restrictions introduced during the pandemic constrained our freedom to travel. To understand how, we must look at the interaction between immigration status, citizenship, employment, and place of residence, write Lorenzo Piccoli, Jelena Dzankic, Timothy Jacob-Owens and Didier Ruedin
During the coronacrisis, conspiracy theories have proliferated, and politicians who use them for political gain are – at least partly – to blame. Let the January attack on the US Capitol be a warning to Europe, write Annemarie Walter and Hugo Drochon
Researchers now have tools to assess the influence of gender quotas on electoral systems. But, write Maciej Górecki and Michał Pierzgalski, the impact of such quotas reveals limited improvement in women’s political representation
Coronavirus dominated the Dutch elections to the virtual exclusion of all else. The outcome, write Joop van Holsteyn and Galen Irwin, is a parliament with a record number of parties. Although the current coalition has sufficient seats to return to power, this may not happen. The Liberal Party again has the biggest share, and it is likely Mark Rutte will return as Minister-President
The Conference on the Future of Europe aims to produce proposals for EU ureform in a participatory manner. Yet, writes Markus Patberg, its setup suggests top-down steering, and lacks a clear conception of democratic authorisation. The envisaged forms of broad but unsystematic inclusion might even be counterproductive to the declared goal of empowering citizens
