DE
DE
HDH
EU - Mercosur Agreement

EU–Mercosur: Between Geopolitical Urgency and Parliamentary Arithmetic

The EU–Mercosur agreement constitutes a geopolitical test for Europe: beyond trade, it entails competitiveness, security, and climate considerations. The challenge is no longer its convenience, but securing its political ratification.

MSC – Wolfgang Ischinger, Leiter der Sicherheitskonferenz, hält am letzten Tag der Münchner Sicherheitskonferenz seine Abschlussrede.
Security Policy
Jeroen Dobber Maik Schnierer

Munich Security Conference: 3 Takeaways for Europe’s Future

There was consensus among Europeans in Munich: the international order has changed. Major powers threaten to monopolize power. How must Europe reshape its foreign and defense policy?

THE HAGUE – Party leaders Rob Jetten (D66), Henri Bontenbal (CDA), and Dilan Yesilgoz (VVD) presenting their coalition agreement at Nieuwspoort.
Government in the Netherlands
Jules Maaten Jeroen Dobber

The Dutch Liberal Gamble: D66 and VVD Revitalize Dutch Politics and European Cooperation

A bold minority government puts Dutch liberalism to the test. Can D66 and VVD deliver stability, security, European cooperation without a majority? Read how this could reshape Dutch and EU politics.

Parlamentswahl Thailand
Thailand
Vanessa Steinmetz

Thailand: Hope for change, longing for stability

Political turmoil, weak economic growth and a bloody border conflict are shaping the mood in Thailand ahead of the parliamentary elections on 8 February. The progressive People's Party is ahead in the polls but despite changes to the rules, it remains unclear whether it will actually be able to govern this time around.

Budget Review Supervision
Innovation for Democracy
Zoe Lee

How Does Taiwan's Civil Society Leverage Technology and Citizen Activism to Enhance the Transparency of Parliament?

In 2025, NGOs in Taiwan criticized the budget review process and took action. They developed a crowdsourcing social media bot and a data visualization website to monitor how legislators decided to cut or freeze budgets. Data journalist Zoe Lee from READr, who led the project, explains how Taiwan’s civic tech community advanced parliamentary transparency.

Myanmar Protest
Myanmar

Myanmar’s Forgotten Democratic Revolution

Five years after Myanmar’s military seized power in a coup on Feb. 1, 2021, the country remains trapped in violence and political paralysis. What was once framed as a historic democratic uprising has largely faded from global attention, replaced by a quieter but more durable reality: the consolidation of a modern authoritarian state, sustained by authoritarian alliance, mostly by China, and western democracies’ indifference.

FNF Publication Cover
The Case of Georgia

Social Trsut and Polarization

Social trust in Georgia is eroding as political polarization deepens. This research examines how “us vs. them” politics, institutional capture, and identity conflicts undermine democracy—and what can be done to rebuild trust and resilience.

Indien und EU
India
Prof. Gulshan Sachdeva

Geopolitical dynamics favour India–EU trade deal

The EU and India have finalized their Free Trade Agreement. For India, the EU is a key partner in trade, technology, investment, and energy transition. The modest trade deal links value chains, increases connectivity and supports sustainable growth.

A presidential campaign billboard featuring João Cotrim de Figueiredo in Leiria, Portugal.
Portugal
Odilia Abreu

Imagine Portugal: The Rise of Optimistic Institutionalism

As Europe grapples with the rise of populist rhetoric, Iniciativa Liberal is rewriting the political playbook through ‘Optimistic Institutionalism’, distilled in the forward-looking motto “Imagine Portugal.” By moving beyond technocratic messaging, Portuguese liberals reframed their appeal around culture, knowledge, and growth. The impact was historic. In the first round of the presidential elections, liberal support surged from 5% to 16%, tripling its previous share and delivering the strongest result ever for liberals in Portugal.

Cover page of the publication The Digital Euro
Euro

The Digital Euro

Europe’s digital euro is no longer a theoretical debate. As key political decisions approach, the project is becoming a test case for how the EU understands digital sovereignty, competition, and the role of markets in the digital age.

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