ifa Repositorium zur Auswärtigen Kultur- und Bildungspolitik (AKBP)
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China's Institutionalised Cultural Presence in Africa
Get PDFThis study looks at the effects of Chinese cultural diplomacy on the African continent. While for a long time China's investments in large infrastructure projects were viewed positively, Joffe now notes a growing awareness both in civil society and in government agencies of ambivalent consequences. Many African countries are now groaning under the burden of debt, and about two-thirds of new loans now come from China. This study provides insight into Chinese investments, particularly in the area of international cultural policy. The study's findings highlight the complexity of Chinese engagement in Africa and the various facets of its associated impacts. The author suggests that African actors should ensure that a more equitable engagement develops, where conditions are determined by local needs and culture, and more aggressively advocate for equality, needs, and respect for national sovereignty
Iran: at a glance
No full textIran faces a challenging situation domestically and geopolitically, with economic stagnation, youth unrest, sanctions, and regional conflicts all taxing the regime’s stability. Within this context, it uses ECP to gain regional influence, which is mostly concentrated in the Middle East, especially neighboring Iraq and Syria. At the same time, it seeks to project its understanding of Shia religion, politics, and culture farther afield as well to gain more economic and political partners. To date, Iran has aimed at wielding some influence in Europe as well as with countries more politically at odds with the United States. However, with tensions between the US, and China and Russia rising, Iran may feel encouraged to embrace an “anti-Western” stance more firmly and seek alliances accordingly (Merat, 2022). Regardless of how geopolitics evolves, Iran’s history of navigating great power rivalry and wielding cultural influence to shape its region and advance its religion is unlikely to change in the near future
Cleavages in international climate policies
Get PDFRebuilding alliances and partnerships for climate ambition are essential to deepen collaboration and accelerate transformation. In foreign climate policy, this first requires an honest and unreserved stocktaking of the main cleavages, different interests and resulting narratives of different countries as outlined in this paper
Egypt: at a glance
No full textWith its triple identity as an Islamic, African, and Arabic country, Egypt has great potential for creating an attractive image to several distinct international audiences. After the Arab Spring, Egypt is in search of a national narrative that can bridge the gap between its historical legacy and political turmoils. Its external cultural policy serves this role by reviving its economy through tourism and creating space for its foreign policies and regional disputes. In addition to cultural tourism, Egypt also exercises its soft power through peacekeeping, cultural heritage, and creative industries
Analysing Decolonial Climate Perspectives
No full textClimate change is a complex transdisciplinary challenge that requires ongoing reflections and the inclusion of different perspectives to its debate. Climate change is not fairly addressed when topics such as culture, education, including the colonial past that resulted in the current relations between countries, are not considered as part of the debate. This is indeed one of the premises of this study. This study takes place within the framework of ifa’s Research Programme “Culture and Foreign Policy” in which experts analyse current topics of international cultural relations and develop recommendations for future external cultural pol-icy measures. It discusses the potential and challenges of a more decolonial approach to international cooperation in the field of environment and climate change, having education and culture as bases and tools for this cooperation. This study specifically addresses the German Climate Foreign Policy towards the Brazilian Legal Amazon region. A literature review, semi-structured interviews, and roundtables were conducted as part of the research to take into account an overview of perceptions from different stakeholders connected with the research topic
Global Perceptions 2023: How 18-34 year olds see the UK and the World
Get PDFNow in its sixth edition since 2016, the British Council’s Global Perceptions study gauges what 18–34 year olds across the G20 member states think of the UK and other leading nations, and how these perceptions have shifted over time
