Governance and Societies
States remain essential pillars of the international system, even if they are not the only players. Governance is a local, national and international issue.
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Quest for Strategic Autonomy? Europe Grapples with the US - China Rivalry

Building on the 2020 European Think Tank Network on China (ETNC) report, which assessed Europe’s positioning amid the strategic rivalry between the United States and China, this edition re-examines the geopolitical landscape in light of the Covid-19 pandemic, Russia’s war in Ukraine and Donald Trump’s return to the White House. This report features 22 national chapters and one dedicated to the EU, analysing the evolution of Europe’s relations with Washington and Beijing, the range of approaches to dealing the US-China rivalry and how these are expected to evolve.
City Diplomacy and Human Mobility in Africa. Protecting Refugees and Migrants along the Central Mediterranean Route from the East and the Horn of Africa
Cities face constraints to work on migration and refugee issues, often due to a lack of decentralisation and resource constraints. Adopting an inclusive city approach can safeguard local authorities’ commitment towards providing protection to residents regardless of status, while not overstepping legal mandates.
Rebooting Italy's Africa Policy: Making the Mattei Plan Work
Against the backdrop of increasing anti-French rhetoric across parts of Francophone Africa, the relative failure of the counterinsurgency operation in the central Sahel (Operation Barkhane) and diplomatic rifts with several Sahelian countries, Paris has been rethinking its relationship with the continent for several years now. As a former imperial power that has seen its colonial domain in Africa gain independence between 1956 (Morocco-Tunisia) and 1977 (Djibouti), France has invented two successive roles for itself in Africa since 1960, particularly in French-speaking sub-Saharan Africa.
From Crisis Hotspots to Convening Powers. African Cities Launch Diplomacy to Create Climate Mobility Partnerships
African local governments cannot afford to turn into climate mobility hotspots without taking proactive action – drawing on local knowledge, convening power and access to affected communities.
The dilemma of the Franco-African military relationship: reinvent or turn the page?
The origins of military presence and cooperation in Africa can be traced back to the tacit decolonization pact between the countries of French-speaking Africa. This cooperation led to the creation of African armies in the former colonies, as part of a project to prevent the spread of communism and maintain France's influence in the newly independent countries.
The Evolution of City Diplomacy in Africa: Impact, Potential, and Ongoing Challenges of African Cities’ International Activities.
Over the past decades, African cities have ranked among the leading players in the evolution of city diplomacy. Indeed, municipalities across the continent have gone beyond simply adapting to shifting trends in international cooperation. They have been shaping the current partnership approach that sees local authorities worldwide working together to pursue shared goals and address common urban challenges such as climate change, migration, and social justice.
The High Authority for Peacebuilding (HACP) in Niger 2011-2023. Placing the State at the heart of conflict prevention and management.
Like other Sahelian countries, Niger has been affected by terrorism for almost two decades now. This issue has highlighted both the limits of these countries’ security systems and, more profoundly, their inability to offer stability to the populations of certain parts of the country. In a way, these “jihadized insurgencies” are a continuity of groups that regularly take up arms against central states.
Chad: from Deby to Deby. Recipes for a successful succession (2021-2024)
As in Togo and Gabon, the transition that took place in Chad from 2021 to
2024 resulted in a dynastic succession. Mahamat Idriss Deby succeeded his
father, Idriss Deby Itno, who was President of Chad from 1996 to 2021. While
the majority of Chadians were hoping for a change of government, the “Deby
system” has managed to hold on.
Is the Republican People’s Party (CHP) Rising from the Ashes?
The victory of the CHP [Cumhuriyet Halk Partisi, Republican People’s Party] in the Turkish municipal elections of March 2024 firmly established it as the leading party of opposition to the Islamic-conservative AKP [Adalet ve Kalkınma Partisi, Justice and Development Party], which has been in power since 2002.
State Elections in Thuringia, Saxony and Brandenburg - Extreme Parties on the Rise?
The Alternative for Germany (AfD) became Germany's strongest political force in the regional elections in Thuringia and Saxony.
The Influence of Strategic Subnational Diplomacy in International Relations
The international engagement of cities and local governments has increased and diversified recently. Mainly understood by the public as the cultural and academic ties cultivated within the sister-city framework, these connections now bear deeper and more strategic implications.

Temporary Workers or Permanent Migrants? The Kafala System and Contestations over Residency in the Arab Gulf States
The Arab Gulf is the third largest receiving region for global migrants (after North America and the European Union). The six states of the Gulf Corporation Council (GCC) are the richest Arab economies, boast some of the highest GDP per capita rankings in the world, and they all depend upon guest workers in virtually every economic sector. Guest workers have played an integral role in the Gulf since the 1970s, supplying the skills and manpower needed to implement ambitious development plans.
Racial integration - Lessons from the U.S. Army
On Friday, the 13th of January, 2012, the Center for Migrations and Citizenship welcomed 3-star U.S. Army General Bostick as a speaker of its international conference: "Business and the State: Migration Policies, Diversity and Integration".
Linking Business and Migration Policy in the USA
On Friday, the 13th of January, 2012, the Center for Migrations and Citizenship welcomed Jesus 'Chuy' Garcia - Cook County Commissioner, Chicago (USA) - as a speaker of its international conference "Business and the State: Migration Policies, Diversity and Integration".

European Task Force on Irregular Migrations - Country Report: United Kingdom
Irregularity of status, or „illegal‟ migration, has become a significant issue of public interest over the last 10 years. It is argued that the numbers game and moral panic shifted from black communities in the early 1980s to „bogus‟ asylum seekers in the early 1990s, and to irregular migrants in the late 1990s (Clandestino 2008: 18). We argue that public concern over irregular migration results from the tension between the needs of the UK economy for labour migration and the attempts of successive governments to convince voters that they are in control of immigration, and that they only allow inflows beneficial to the country. This situation generates loud and tough discourses on asylum and irregular migration, which remain closely related issues in Britain today.

European Task Force on Irregular Migrations - Country Report: Italy
In order to understand the present configuration of immigration policies in Italy, it is necessary to follow a path of double logic at every step of the analysis. On one side, the study will identify consistent trends in the country’s “immigration history” that continue to shape the main features of the reality of immigration today (see §§ 2.1 and 2.2). On the other side, the study will focus on major changes in the regulation of immigration and the policies addressing undocumented migrants that occurred in more recent times (see § 2.3.).

European Task Force on Irregular Migrations - Country Report: Spain
Spain represents in many ways an exceptional case study for research on immigration and especially irregular immigration.
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