Photo by Markus Spiske via Unsplash

New Walls II: The Great Firewall of China

October 14, 2019 / Christina Maags

China’s so-called “Great Firewall” blocks citizens’ access to the outside world and to each other. But in the end, the virtual blockade might undermine the communist party’s own goals. — Episode 2 of our “New Walls” series. Over time, empires and nation-states have erected walls to protect their people and limit their interaction with “the […]

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Bolivian President Evo Morales. Photo by kremlin.ru via commons.wikimedia.org. CC BY 4.0

Elections in Bolivia: President Morales Poised to Cling to Power

October 10, 2019 / Mat Youkee

Ahead of Bolivia’s presidential elections in October, President Evo Morales looks set to win a fourth consecutive mandate, despite a referendum in which a narrow majority voted to block such a move. Is the South American nation about to take a step backwards? Bolivia serves as a reminder that, all too often, democracies are only […]

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Zaun an der serbisch-ungarischen Staatsgrenze. Foto: Délmagyarország/Schmidt Andrea via commons.wikimedia.org, CC BY SA 3.0

New Walls I: Militarizing Borders in Europe

October 7, 2019 / Raphael Bossong

What has become of the hope for freedom in a borderless world, thirty years after the fall of the Berlin Wall? Instead of disappearing, more and more hard border fortifications arise. — Episode 1 of our “New Walls” series. After the end of the Cold War, borders were seen as a legacy of the past. […]

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Construction Workers Using Digital Tablet. © Seventyfour - stock.adobe.com

Digitalization: Curse or Blessing for Developing Economies?

September 18, 2019 / Thieß Petersen

Digital technologies are becoming increasingly important for the economic prosperity and international competitiveness of individual economies. On the one hand, for developing countries they represent a potential source with which can increase material prosperity and combat poverty. On the other hand, there is the danger that some of these countries will be technologically left behind […]

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The Russian-Led Military Exercise in Vostok, 2018. Photo by mil.ru via commons.wikimedia.org, CC BY 4.0
President Shavkat Mirziyoev. Photo by kremlin.ru via commons.wikimedia.org, CC BY 4.0
Protests against Bouteflika in Béjaïa, Algeria. Photo by Akechii via commons.wikimedia.org, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Algerian Politics: The Closing Window for Change

July 24, 2019 / Dalia Ghanem

For more than four months protesters in Algeria have been urging a clean-up of the country’s politics and a new constitution. But how realistic is change given the military’s iron grip on power? Algeria, where power has long been firmly consolidated in a deep state, has seen mass peaceful protests since February 22. What started […]

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The town hall in Svidník. Photo by Peter Zelizňák via commons.wikimedia.com, CC0 (public domain)

European Parliament Elections: Land of the Non-Voters

May 24, 2019 / Dariusz Kalan

Is there any hope that the forthcoming European elections will bring positive change for Slovakians? In fact, there is. This year marks the 15th anniversary of Slovakia’s EU accession. But in Svidník in northeastern Slovakia only a few people bother. Svidník is the main city of one of the poorest and least developed regions in […]

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US helicopter over Baghdad. Photo by The U.S. Army via commons.wikimedia.org, CC0

Stakes in Iraq: U.S. and Iran vie for power

May 13, 2019 / Alex Vatanka

The United States’ tough stance on Iran has left many nations in a fix. Iraq is among those most afflicted by the battle for influence – and it remains to be seen whether Iran or the U.S. will prevail. When it comes to American foreign policy, few publications are as gung-ho as the Wall Street […]

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Houcine Abassi, Secretary General of the Tunisian General Labour Union (UGTT). Photo: Elma Okic via flickr.com, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Three Lessons Tunisia Can Teach Brexit Britain About Building Consensus

April 17, 2019 / Fabian Stroetges

Tunisia’s example offers three important lessons on how to solve divisive political issues like Brexit: consensus should incorporate societal interests beyond government; pressure is helpful, not harmful; and it takes prestigious personalities to mediate a solution. As deadline follows deadline over Brexit, the issue polarizes British society like few issues have for decades. The House […]

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Welcome to the blog of the Bertelsmann Stiftung's Transformation Index.

We share local insights from our network of BTI experts and journalists in developing and transition countries.

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