March 8, 2010 - In the coming two days, this international symposium in the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung will take a close look at the Palestinian history and it significance for today’s politics and life conditions of its people. A distinguished group of Palestinian political representatives, international officials, Palestinian and international researchers, will contribute to an analytical debate of the complexity of historic and current Palestinian existence.  Opening remarks by Barbara Unmüßig more»

The Transformation of Palestine – The geographic and social fragmentation of the Palestinian people is essentially a result of the conflict in the Middle East. This topic represents the main focus of our two-day conference with international experts in March 2010. Our dossier provides further information about the conference and the invited experts. more»

Towards a New Transatlantic Strategy on Iran and its Nuclear Program – February 10, 2010 - In June 2009 the Heinrich Böll Foundation, the American Jewish Committee and the Aspen Institute Germany jointly organized and hosted a one-day, closed door conference for senior policy makers, practitioners, experts and select members of the media at Aspen. It marked the final event of a series of discussions on the Iranian nuclear challenge carried out by the Heinrich Böll Foundation over the last two years. more»

A Weapons of Mass Destruction Free Zone in the Middle East: Shaping the Contours of Discussion toward 2012 – July 6, 2010 - The final document of the 2010 NPT Review Conference includes reference to the convening of a conference in 2012 to discuss the idea of a Weapons of Mass Destruction-Free-Zone (WMDFZ) for the Middle East. By Emily B. Landau more»

The New Israeli Residence Order for the West Bank – April 20, 2010 - On the occasion of the new Israeli residence order for the West Bank, Bernd Asbach interviewed Issam Nassar, co-founder of the "Institute for Jerusalem Studies" from Jerusalem. By Bernd Asbach more»

June 2, 2010 - The conflict in Thailand between "Red Shirts" protesters and the government turned violent in May with over 80 people killed. The Thai NGO networks "Coordination Network of NGOs" and the "Anti Civil War Network" condemn the violence and propose solutions to the conflict. By Wanun Permpibul and Jost Pachaly more»

A Bright Future for Solar Energy in China – May 17, 2010 - Dynamic growth due to the global fight against climate change has made China the world's number one producer of solar cells. 98 per centof all solar cells were exported. Not even 1 per cent was used in China itself. But Wang Sicheng of the Energy Research Institute is convinced that the focus of the Chinese solar energy industry will gradually shift from foreign to domestic markets. By Sun Xiaohua more»

Thailand: The on-going political crisis involves every sector and institution – May 3, 2010 - Interview with Supinya Klangnarong, Media-rights advocate and researcher, about the crisis in Thailand, the polarisation of Thai society and the mistakes of government, and protesters. more»

Eight Years After: Is the Driver’s Seat Still Empty? - The State of Women in Afghanistan – March 24, 2010 - Despite real changes for the Afghan people, especially women continue to suffer from human rights abuses in many areas of life. This policy paper focuses on progress and shortcomings in the area of womens rights and their participation in society, followed by a number of recommendations on how to further improve the condition of women in Afghanistan. By the Afghan Civil Society Forum Organization more»

Pakistan: Reality, Denial and the Complexity of its State – March 17, 2010 - On 11th February 2010, the Heinrich Boell Foundation organised an expert round table discussion to inaugurate the release of their new publication “Pakistan – Reality, Denial and the Complexity of its State”. Two authors who published articles in the book were invited from Pakistan to Berlin to present and discuss their work. more»

Tribal Jurisdiction and Agreements: The Key to Sub-National Governance in Southeastern Afghanistan – March 16, 2010 - In many parts of Afghanistan, non-state institutions remain relevant to security and stability, despite repeated and concerted state-led attempts from the late 19th century onward to expand its administrative influence, including control over the provision of security and the administration of justice. This policy brief examines the historical background of tribal contracts, to what extent they still play a role in local governance today, and what implications can be drawn for the current promotion of community governance arrangements. more»

The Future of Afghanistan: A Perspective from India – March 15, 2010 - An interview with Shanthie Mariet D’Souza (Associate Fellow at IDSA, Visiting Research Fellow at the Institute of South Asian Studies (ISAS),National University of Singapore (NUS). more»

Why Pakistan can’t fight terrorism – March 8, 2010 - There are factors that persuade Pakistan to fight against the terrorist organisations located on its soil. There is an equal number of factors militating against Pakistan’s campaign to fight terrorism. By Khaled Ahmed more»

London 2010: New chance for Afghanistan? – This Afghanistan Dossier offers a variety of articles, analysis and commentary from Afghanistan, Pakistan, India and Germany, regarding the current situation in Afghanistan and its potential outcomes. more»

April 9, 2009 - On April 22, 2009 general elections were held in South Africa. In the run-up the emergence of a ANC breakaway party had raised the stakes. Our dossier provides background information as well as updates.

The Kimberley Process and the Chiadzwa Diamonds in Zimbabwe: Challenges and Effectiveness – July 19, 2010 - Amidst allegations of rampant human rights abuses at the Chiadzwa diamond fields and reports of diamond smuggling the KPCS has failed to take decisive action. Claude Kabemba sheds light on the reasons for the KPCS’ inability to act and concludes that a failure in Zimbabwe will send a negative signal about the relevance of the KPCS and capacity for self-regulation of the diamond industry as a whole. By Claude Kabemba more»

Caught between a rock and hard place – July 1, 2010 - Saliem Fakir draws balance over of South Africas economic policy of the last 15 years and derives from it recommendations for a future political agenda. Saliem Fakir more»

South Africa 2010 Inspires Hope in Africa... as World Cup Fever Grips Nigeria – June 23, 2010 - Africa is celebrating. Never in the history of the Mundial has the game of football inspire an entire continent to dream and hope for a brighter future than the South Africa 2010 FIFA World Cup. The soccer event, brings hope and joy to a continent long ravaged by poverty, wars and diseases. By Bayo Olupohunda more»

Gender and Climate Change in Southern Africa – Although various studies have focused on climate change impacts and adaptation opportunities in Africa, few have focused on the household level and in particular on gender differentiated impacts of climate change. This study, commissioned by Heinrich Böll Stiftung, provides an analysis and summary of the findings of eight case studies carried out in four southern African countries. Furthermore, the study aims to identify various policies, programmes and activities that could address these issues. more»

The LGBTI Movement and Social Media in Africa – April 22, 2010 - LGBTI people have increased their visibility through the formation of national and Pan-African organisations working at grassroots level in the struggle for decriminalization and sensitising their respective communities. The campaign for LGBTI rights in Africa needs to be framed within a global context of growing homophobia and transphobia. By Sokari Ekine more»

Sudan – No Easy Ways Ahead – As the six-year transitional period defined in the Comprehensive Peace Agreement draws to a close, Sudan is sliding into another crisis. The Heinrich Böll Foundation, which has been working both with civil society partners in Sudan and on Sudan-related issues in the German context for several years, has put together this publication in order to reflect on such scenarios. With contributions by Alex de Waal, Atta El-Battahani, Marina Peter, John Yoh, Roland Marchal, and Peter Schumann. more»

The conference "European Energy Policy - Energy Security, Climate Protection, Innovation" in March 2010 was a place for experts from politics, science, and society. It offered an exceptional forum on the best and fastest way to achieve a sustainable energy future for Europe. more»

Foreign Policy of Turkey in the Middle East: Values, Interests, Goals – February 10, 2010 - The Heinrich Böll Foundation Turkey office decided to launch a foreign policy program with an initial series of meetings in Istanbul, Berlin and Brussels. The goal was to shape guiding questions and frame the foundations interests in its analysis and policy interventions in foreign policy debates between Turkey, the European Union, and the Middle East. A report from the first expert roundtable in Istanbul, on October 19 2009. By Ulrike Dufner and Marc Berthold more»

Khodorkovsky: Dangling between Conviction and Release: Is there a Solution? – July 29, 2010 - Jens Siegert, head of the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung in Moscow, states in a commentary article that a verdict of "not guilty" in the Khodorkovsky-Lebedev trial may show a sign of political weakness on behalf of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, while a "guilty" verdict could end all hope for a thorough modernization of Russia. By Jens Siegert more»