In order to strengthen social cohesion in times of populism and polarization, we need to understand the existing rifts. Two perspectives from Germany and South Africa illustrate how deep the cracks around social injustice run.

Rana Dajani is a molecular biologist and social entrepreneur. She is the founder of We Love Reading, a grassroots initiative that empowers changemakers in underserved communities. During her fellowship, she explores patterns between society and biology.

There must be a fundamental change from thinking of health as a cost to health as an investment. From ever more advanced treatment, the system must move to an ethic of prevention.

Germany hasn’t processed its colonial past the way it confronted Nazi-era crimes. A search for traces in Berlin.

The educational system in Germany is facing major challenges. Dr. Dagmar Wolf, Senior Vice President, Education at Robert Bosch Stiftung, explains how the foundation’s area of education works to develop schools and promote a sustainable future for...

After military takeovers in Mali and Burkina Faso, another country in the region succumbs to a military coup. Why the situation in Niger is different and what geopolitical impact it has, explain our partners from the Institute for Security Studies, a...

The recently released Global Governance Survey describes the capacity and commitment of individual states to manage public goods, as well as to address global challenges through multilateral institutions. A comparison shows how well Germany has positioned...

Of late, “de-risking” has been a fashionable catchword in European politics. But the term can easily become meaningless when we have insufficient knowledge to assess what the risk actually is and whether it is a real threat or only hype.

Senem Aydın-Düzgit is a Senior Scholar and the Research and Academic Affairs Coordinator at Istanbul Policy Center as well as a Professor of International Relations at the Sabancı University. Her areas of expertise include European and Turkish foreign...

Just because some Central European countries have backslided doesn’t mean that Ukraine will. The EU’s next steps are crucial.

The U.S. must grasp that its own interests are those of the rest of the world, argues Stephen Heintz. What’s good for the world is good for the U.S. 

The situation in Israel is once again tense. For the Arab public to join protests, it has to feel like a true partner in them.

Amy Sample Ward is the CEO of NTEN, a nonprofit creating a world where missions and movements are more successful through the skillful and equitable use of technology. Their research focuses on the questions around tech for good.

Our healthcare system will have to face many challenges in the coming years. To ensure its sustainability for the future, we need to drive social and technological innovation. Dr. Ingrid Wünning Tschol is head of the Robert Bosch Center for Healthcare...

Pierre Hazan is a senior advisor with the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue, one of the main organizations in armed conflict mediation. He closely monitors the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine, focusing on questions of transitional justice. Here, the...

Fiona Hill is a senior fellow in the Center on the United States and Europe in the foreign policy program at Brookings. She has researched and published extensively on issues related to Russia, the Caucasus, Central Asia, regional conflicts, energy, and...

Since the Russian attack on Ukraine, more than eight million Ukrainians have fled, many to countries in Central and Eastern Europe, and more than one million to Germany. Markus Lux, Senior Vice President, Global Issues and responsible for the topic...

What is the role of research and digital technologies in helping the world solve its most intractable problems?

While facing EU sanctions, Hungary is open to Russian influence. Why Viktor Orbán thinks he can maneuver between east and west – to Hungary’s advantage.   

Germany must first define its own strategic interests in relation to Africa, argues Dr. Olumide Abimbola, Director of the Berlin-based think tank “APRI”.  

This year, November 6 to 18, the COP27 world climate conference took place in Sharm el-Sheikh. The Robert Bosch Stiftung was there to support its partners. Ottilie Bälz, Senior Vice President for Global Issues and responsible for the climate change...

Berlin is said to be so international, so cosmopolitan, so diverse. But what is life like as a black person in Berlin? An opinion piece by Akwugo Emejulu.

The pandemic presages many of the challenges of climate breakdown. Now is the opportunity to reform society and healthcare for a carbon-neutral future.

The absence of cultural strategies can render social and international relations ineffective. A look at culture and its impact on inequalities, human rights and development.

Real progress at the Climate Conferences usually happens on the periphery. But that has grim consequences for the world’s poor.

US voters flipped the script of the midterms, to Europe’s relief, but Donald Trump’s likely return to the campaign trail will fray transatlantic nerves again. US domestic dynamics are likely to put more pressure on Europeans to shoulder greater burdens...

Huang Jing is an expert in foreign and security policy and focuses on China's foreign policy, the military, US-China relations and security issues in Asia-Pacific.

Where ceasefires or peace agreements are brokered top-down, bypassing the local citizenry, they usually fall apart quickly, argues Atje Drexler, Senior Vice President at the Robert Bosch Stiftung and responsible for the peace program.

In the light of the Russian war against Ukraine, the European Order is being renegotiated. Karolina Wigura and Jaroslaw Kuisz speculate about what these developments could mean for Poland and its relations with Europe.

Akwugo Emejulu is an expert in political sociology and researches the intersection of ethnicity, socioeconomic background, and gender.

Since the visit of U.S. representatives in Taiwan in August, the tensions between Washington and Beijing have reached a new level. Many are tempted to compare Taiwan with Ukraine. Evan A. Feigenbaum explains why that is not the case and provides insights...

Both electoral democracies and authoritarian states are increasingly legitimising hatred and bigotry, hollowing out democracy, and eroding the ideas of equal citizenship. The time is overdue for a radical new imagination of our shared futures.

What can be done to address the global education crisis?  Tinkering around the edges won’t work. It’s time to launch a full-out assault on social inequalities, digital addiction, and our societies’ exploitative relationship to nature.

In this interview, Ekaterina Schulmann analyzes the current state of the Russian society and shares her hopes for a democratic shift in her home country.

The results of the French parliamentary elections will make governing more difficult for Emmanuel Macron but have little impact on his foreign and European policy. And with Europe’s geopolitical order in flux, Germany and France aren’t the only ones...

Russia’s war on Ukraine highlights the fragility of global supply chains and the wide-reaching dangers of food and energy insecurity.

Ekaterina Schulmann is a political scientist specializing in the legislative process in modern Russia, parliamentarism, and decision-making mechanisms in hybrid political regimes.

Globally, the rallying cry to reimagine philanthropy in the face of mounting crises has been growing louder. How is this impacting the German philanthropic sector and, in particular, what are the trends and tensions confronting German foundations?

Counterterrorism and international criminal justice transformed the space for mediators in armed conflicts by systematically excluding the “bad guys” from the negotiating table. This is not productive for stopping wars.  

International agreements on environmental protection are not having the needed impact. There is no shortage of legal instruments, but the problem lies in implementation. Civil society can help to change this.

In India, the pandemic has made billionaires even richer, while there is mass death, hunger, and poverty among the lower classes. This is the result of wrong policies. The time is ripe for a new social contract.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine put a crushing end to what we called the 30-year peace that followed the Cold War. The current situation has the potential to fuel frozen conflicts on Europe's periphery. The European project must now be radically rethought.

The urgent necessity to counter the hard power policies of autocrats is the result of the West’s long-term inability to acknowledge shared responsibility for the outcome of its interest-based policies.

The pandemic has exposed how much Africa has been disadvantaged so far in the production, distribution and access to vaccines. First steps are being taken to allow African states to have sovereignty over their health care. But much remains to be done.

The Russian military launched an invasion of Ukraine early on February 24.  Ukraine did not threaten Russia. This war began because one man – Vladimir Putin – chose it. Yet, his war of choice has revealed a series of miscalculations.

Philanthropy is often mistaken as a mere source of funding. In fact, today it offers much more than money and can be a catalyst for solving the challenges we face.

Karolina Wigura is a historian, sociologist and political editor of Kultura Liberalna, Poland’s leading online political and cultural weekly.

Humanity is in the most consequential decade in its history. The choices we make now about climate change will determine the future of generations to come. But the political reality is often miles away from what NGOs are calling for based on scientific...

The pandemic revealed that in many peripheral urban districts, a variety of problems overlap, making them islands of vulnerability. Often, social advancement is only possible by moving away. A research project from three European countries shows...

The new German government has proclaimed the digital transformation as one of its goals. To make government and public administration fit for the digital transformation, it must urgently address three challenges: building up and expanding internal...

The multilateral systems need a retooling to boost their legitimacy, accountability, and functionality in the future. For this, it is critical to engage with and strengthen the voices of civil society, local governments as well as the private...

Harsh Mander is a human rights and peace activist, and director of the Centre for Equity Studies in India, a research center focused on social and economic justice. He was special commissioner to the Supreme Court of India in the Right to Food case...

The world must unite to build a common agenda that addresses the challenges of a fraught and dramatically changed geopolitical context. Indeed, the UN report “Our Common Agenda” and the 76th UN General Assembly offer the prospect for a revitalized...

The results of the German federal elections are being followed closely around the world. Indeed, the policies of the new government will impact events far beyond Germany itself. Read what international experts Harlem Désir, Oby Ezekwesili, Dan Hamilton,...

Countering the illiberal trend in many countries, a spirit of democratic resistance is emerging across Europe, argues democracy expert Richard Youngs. There’s more direct democracy and new political parties focusing on democratic renewal. But the shift is...

Without significant changes in our food systems, it will be impossible to feed the world's population sustainably. To meet the rising food demand and address impacts of climate change, we need a shift towards sustainable land use that protects the...

María Fernanda Espinosa is a diplomat, politician, and academic from Ecuador. She was President of the 73rd Session of the United Nations General Assembly (2018/19), and served as Ecuador’s minister of foreign affairs, minister of cultural and natural...

Isolation is no answer to Germany's digital crisis. Instead of projects like Gaia-X, Germany should venture more into Cyber Valley to remain competitive. Otherwise, in the digital sector the export nation will be sidelined.

How can we make a just transition into a food-secure and climate-neutral world possible? And which “whole of food system” answers are required beyond agricultural solutions?

The pandemic compelled educators to integrate digital tools into the everyday academic lives of their students like never before. With the return to in-person instruction, educators have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to further transform schools in ways...

In order to achieve the 1.5 degree target, climate protection measures of the next 3 to 5 years will be crucial. The new U.S. administration has also recognized the seriousness of the situation and is acting accordingly. However, it will not take the same...

A conversation with Rafał Dutkiewicz about the logic of nationalism and populism, the value of European solidarity for Poland, the state of Polish democracy and the relationship with neighboring Ukraine.

Perceptions of Russia are one of the most successful myth generators that help legitimate the current Kremlin regime and build its favorable external relations. This tactic of generating fallacies about Russia has influenced the Western policy towards the...

For decades, multilateralism, built on a common overarching vision, has anchored Europe's longest-ever period of peace and stability. That alone should qualify the European Union to serve as a model for the UN’s renewal.

Kumi Naidoo is a human rights and environmental activist from South Africa. He was Executive Director of Greenpeace International from 2009 to 2016 and Secretary General of Amnesty International from 2018 to 2020.

The unemployment conditions of youths in the African continent has been a huge debate around may global and business forums around the world seeking for solutions to tackle the problem.

Steven Pifer spent an eventful five months at the Robert Bosch Academy.    

Nord Stream 2 is an almost-finished natural gas pipeline from Russia to Germany. The Biden administration opposes it and has come under congressional pressure to invoke sanctions to prevent its completion, in large part because the pipeline seems a...

The German government and many Germans breathed a sigh of relief when Joe Biden defeated Donald Trump in November. All to the good, but rebuilding the U.S.-German relationship could well prove more difficult than it first appears.

Confronting climate change requires considering its environmental, economic and social dimensions. Read how Laurence Tubiana, Ottmar Edenhofer, Samantha Gross, and Leena Srivastava assess one of the most important challenges of our time.

Vaccinations against Covid-19 are under way in Europe and Africa, but progress is very unequal and the fight against the pandemic is not over yet. International cooperation is indispensable to face inequality and future global crises. How can the narrative...

Brexit is a mistake that the UK will come to regret. The country’s illusions of greatness were outsized 65 years ago when it refused to join the founding members of the European Community. Now, it has made the same mistake again. Brexit is an empty...

Much of the recent discussion about democratic dysfunction has focused on polarization. In Europe, however, it is rather party convergence that has led to democratic decay and the rise of populism. What European politics needs is more polarization...

The West has gotten Russia wrong again and again. Moscow has capitalized on these misperceptions to its own advantage using the West to pursue its survival agenda. In order to understand Russia’s trajectory and stop being an external resource for the...

Ertharin Cousin is Distinguished Fellow at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs and Visiting Scholar at the Stanford University’s Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies. She was the Executive Director of the United Nation’s World Food...

If Gazprom could be persuaded to increase gas transit revenues for Ukraine, that would give the Biden administration a reason not to impose sanctions to block Nord Stream 2’s completion and ammunition to fend off criticism from those who want the pipeline...

In recent years, there have been many similarities between the foreign policies of Turkey and Iran. However, the dynamics are changing and the tensions between both nations are likely to increase.

A real threat to Vladimir Putin – that's how commentators are describing Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny. The Russian authorities certainly responded nervously to his recent return to Moscow and immediately arrested him. In turn, he put out a documentary...

The style and substance of the incoming Biden administration will look very different than that of the past four years. But the new administration will immediately face tough questions: on NATO, China, Russia, troop shifts in Germany, and the defunct...

The world’s most pressing problems are global and require multilateral responses. The basic tools for this already exist. But to better fulfil the existing and emerging tasks, multilateral institutions should provide space – not only for governments –...

Eyal Weizman is the founding director of Forensic Architecture and Professor of Spatial and Visual Cultures at Goldsmiths, University of London. He is a member of the Technology Advisory Board of the International Criminal Court in The Hague.

Modern science must move away from the narrow question of technology’s safe use to broader questions of what conceptions of human flourishing should guide the application of powerful tools in fields such as biotechnology. The Global Observatory for Genome...

It would be wishful thinking to expect dramatic improvement in U.S.-China relations from a Biden presidency. But that does not mean the relationship will continue its dangerous free fall. Five reasons why stabilization could lie ahead.

The Biden administration’s approach to the Middle East will differ from that of the Trump era in many significant ways. A return to multilateralism, and a commitment to institutions and human rights will please some of the region’s actors – but not...

The German Green Party has evolved from its radical origins in the 1980s to become an appealing moderate force with increasing electoral success. They bear watching ahead of Germany's fall 2021 federal elections given their potential to join a government...

Maritime disputes between Greece and Turkey, couched in competing narratives of national sovereignties, are nothing new.

Confronting inequality requires taking its various manifestations into account. Read the perspectives of Branko Milanović, Jenny Ricks, Emilia Roig, Catherine Mulligan, Galip Dalay, Firoze Manji and Kristian Parker on one of the defining challenges of our...

Multilateralism appears more beleaguered than ever. But new outcroppings of civil society across the globe offer a powerful mandate for the renewal of multilateralism. The Covid-19 pandemic provides a unique window of opportunity that can pave the way for...

In the age of COVID-19, the European Union is functioning in a unified way when it comes to economic and health policy. However, unifying European foreign policy is fundamental, too, and Brussels should make this happen now in the region of the Eastern...

Neighborhoods are worth investing in. Instead of being the focal points of the next economic or epidemiological catastrophe, they can be places of hope and resilience that nurture the generation that will lead the fight against adversity.

Obiageli "Oby" Ezekwesili, former Vice President of the World Bank’s Africa division and co-founder of Transparency International, darts a look at her fellowship at the Robert Bosch Academy.

Trump’s heavy-handed America First policies on technology, in particular on artificial intelligence (AI), could harm the industry in the long run. It may damage the international partnerships that are so crucial to ensuring that the development of AI...

There is a lot of discussion about “populism” these days. Meanwhile, the overarching phenomena behind it and the risk of severe polarization is less debated. Yet, there is evidence that political polarization is growing in every European society with...

As Belarus's peaceful protest movement continues to challenge Aleksandr Lukashenko's dictatorship, pressure is building not just on the regime but also on outside powers. While the world must tread carefully, it also can and should do more than simply cheer...

We understand today that humanity’s use of fossil fuels is severely damaging our environment. Fossil fuels cause local pollution where they are produced and used, and their ongoing use is causing lasting harm to the climate of our entire planet....

The coronavirus will influence everyday life in the foreseeable future – and it also sets track for three world-scale revolutions hurtling forward: the atomic, the digital, and the genomic revolution. An essay on the pandemic's enormous impact by Daniel...

Long-held common practices in political journalism feel increasingly implausible because Trump breaks so many of the rules that held for presidents in the past. The press has to change the way it relates to Trump – or risks turning his behavior into the...

In this time of crisis, the Christian vision of politics has enormous potential. But its democratic proponents must act boldly as the populist right wing is occupying its values. In Hungary, in the name of Christian Democracy Viktor Orban has...

The Italian public health expert Roberto Bertollini is cautiously optimistic that the world community will master the COVID-19 pandemic and emerge the wiser for it. The word of science is now held in greater respect and best practices are available. Fake...

Europe, now Russia’s normative opponent (again), cannot return to the days when its relationship with Moscow was based on trust. But Europe can try to create more effective mechanisms for managing mutual suspicion and offer incentives for Russia’s...

Galip Dalay is a scholar and think tanker specializing on Middle Eastern and Turkish politics. He was IPC – Mercator Fellow at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP), non-resident fellow at Brookings Institution, Doha...

The West gets China wrong: because it does not understand the nature of the Confucian state. The Chinese draw heavily on these traditional Asian norms. Beijing could complete its historic transformation by breaking completely with Marxism and...

The Virtual Community Forum brought together 30 former, current, and future Fellows of the Robert Bosch Academy from 20 countries. During the online event, they discussed the Covid-19 pandemic’s global implications focusing on international cooperation,...

If you have never participated in a get-out-the-vote drive, November 3 is the day you should prepare for. Covid-19 robbed us of Earth Day this year. So let’s make Election Day Earth Day.

In times of the corona pandemic, social contacts are more important than ever. We must use the unifying potential of the digital world to counteract the undesirable consequences of social distancing.

How will the COVID-19 pandemic shape the way government, business, and life unfolds once the health emergency subsides? – Doug Saunders in an online talk show with the Canadian TV network TVOntario 

As chummy as Turkey and Russia appear these days - and as much as this unnerves the US and the NATO allies - many of the two countries' interests are diametrically opposed. The uneasy alliance is currently being tested on the frontlines in Syria. By Soli...

Climate change threatens the security and stability of all countries. Fragile regions are particularly affected. The impacts of climate change are an additional driver of tension and make it more difficult to resolve conflicts peacefully. How does Mali, one...

When it comes to nuclear weapons, the Germans always want to know: Who will protect us from the Russians? Unfortunately, that is the less important question.

If Germany wants to learn from Canada's immigration model, it should think less about how to select immigrants and more about how to turn them, as quickly as possible, into Germans. By Doug Saunders

The former Korean Minister of Unification and Richard von Weizsäcker Fellow, Woo-ik Yu, reflects on lessons learned from the German reunification.

A former Fidesz activist recalls marching for democracy alongside Viktor Orbán — and then breaking ranks as he steered Hungary down an authoritarian path. By Zsuzsanna Szelényi

Zsuzsanna Szelényi is a Hungarian politician and expert in foreign policy. She was a member of the Hungarian Parliament from 1990 to 1994 and from 2014 to 2018 and established the Visegrad4Europe project to organize pro-European advocacy in Central Europe....

Obiageli "Oby" Ezekwesili darts a look at her fellowship at the Robert Bosch Academy.

November 17 is Volkstrauertag (National Day of Mourning) in Germany. This day of remembrance honors the victims of war and violence in all nations. This year, Rafał Dutkiewicz addressed the German parliament. In our interview, the former mayor of...

Elements of an education: Constanze Stelzenmüller tells her personal storys - and what lessons ought to be learned from the German history. 

This year's destination: Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania — A take on the process of the German unifikation...

Turkey's Easter Sunday referendum will create a new political system in 2019, after parliamentary and presidential elections that year, with executive power to be concentrated in the hands of a president who also leads a political party. But President Recep...

“Bad governance is clearly known as an obstacle to growth and development,” stated Obiageli Ezekwesili in an interview with Deutsche Welle television. Ezekwesili, a former Nigerian Minister of Education, uses her fellowship at the Robert Bosch Academy...

Leena Srivastava has been appointed as the Deputy Director General Science of the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) in Vienna. Prior to this, she was the Vice Chancellor of the TERI (The Energy and Resources Institute)...

Daniel S. Hamilton is the Austrian Marshall Plan Foundation Professor at Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) and formerly Director of its Center for Transatlantic Relations. Daniel Hamilton has been a senior U.S....

The EU finds itself at “the most perilous moment since the Second World War”, French president Emanuel Macron said earlier this year. And in May, the EU elections resulted in a political landscape more fragmented than ever. Still, though, despite...

In an interview, David Donoghue, former Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Ireland to the United Nations in New York and Fellow of the Robert Bosch Academy in spring 2019, shares his vision on migration and multilateralism, and explains which...

Obiageli Ezekwesili is an economic policy expert and was a candidate for the office of the President of Nigeria in the 2019 elections. Prior to that, she was Vice President of the World Bank’s Africa division and Nigerian Minister of Education. She also...

Anna Diamantopoulou gives insights into her Fellowship. 

Five years full of debates, ideas, and new connections - five fellows speak about their stay in Berlin and its impact on their present and beyond. 

What are conflicting interests with other non-European regions and how can the EU (re)develop the strength to play an active role in foreign affairs? What are the expectations of the MENA region, China, Russia and the U.S. towards future relations with the...

Ambassador Wolfgang Ischinger has been Chairman of the Munich Security Conference (MSC) since 2008. A German career diplomat, he was State Secretary (Deputy Foreign Minister), the Federal Republic of Germany's Ambassador to the US, and to the Court of...

In the first weeks after the election, we Arabs of Israel felt sad, scared, and confused. But soon we gathered together our thoughts and adjusted our feelings, and began to look forward again. But first we have to analyze why we lost, yet again.  

Natalie Nougayrède is a French journalist. She works as editorial board member and columnist at ‘The Guardian’. She was previously the executive editor of ‘Le Monde’, after being its diplomatic correspondent and Moscow bureau chief.  

Policy Paper by Ivan Krastev resulting from the "Hypocrisy, Anti-Hypocrisy and International Order" project The widespread, growing criticism of Western hypocrisy is a distinctive characteristic of the world we live in today. It is a powerful expression of...

We asked Sandra Breka, Member of the Board of Management, five questions about the past and future of the Robert Bosch Academy on the occasion of five years Robert Bosch Academy.

Woo-ik Yu is a geographer and statesman. He has been professor of geography at the Seoul National University (SNU) for 29 years serving also as Secretary General and Treasurer of the International Geographical Union (2004-2010). He left university to serve...

On 12 March 2019 two of Germany’s top diplomats Ambassador Wolfgang Ischinger, Chairman of the Munich Security Conference, and Ambassador Klaus Scharioth, Dean of the Mercator Fellowship on International Affairs, took up the invitation of the Robert Bosch...

Julianne Smith is an American policymaker. She has served as National Security Advisor to Vice President Joseph Biden and was Director of the Transatlantic Security Program at the Center for a New American Security. As a Richard von Weizsäcker Fellow, she...

Thirty years ago in 1989, Francis Fukuyama published his famous essay “The End of History?” Fyodor Lukyanov is editor of Russia in Global Affairs and chairman of the Council on Foreign and Defence Policy, an independent organization providing...

Galip Dalay is research director at Al Sharq Forum, visiting scholar at the University of Oxford, and non-resident fellow at Brookings Institution, Doha Centre. He is a future Richard von Weizsäcker Fellow of the Robert Bosch Academy.

Dennis Shirley is Professor of Education at the Lynch School of Education at Boston College in the United States. He is Editor-in-Chief of The Journal of Educational Change, an indispensable resource for change leaders. 

Professor Edgar Pieterse is a South African urban scholar, writer and curator whose interests include the theory and practice of imaginaries to make cities in the Global South more just, open and experimental. He is founding director of the African Centre...

Julie Smith is an American policymaker with specific expertise in Europe and transatlantic relations. She has served as Director of the Transatlantic Security Program at the Center for a New American Security (CNAS) and as National Security Advisor to Vice...

In an effort to discover Germany’s diversity and its regional peculiarities, six current Richard von Weizsäcker Fellows went on an Academy on Tour through the Rhineland from January 21 - 23. In discussions with representatives from politics, academia,...

How important is culture in the struggle for freedom?  Author and activist Firoze Manji draws parallels between the anti-colonial leader Amilcar Cabral and the writer and activist Ken Saro-Wiwa. Their writings inspired Manji to find answers, and...

The advocate for restorative justice Tecla Wanjala, who stayed at the Robert Bosch Academy in 2018, talks about her life and work with international communities, about political activism and post-conflict rehabilitation. Starting with her work as a school...

Amanda Sloat is a Robert Bosch Senior Fellow in the Center on the United States and Europe at Brookings. She is also a fellow with the Project on Europe and the Transatlantic Relationship at Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center for Science and...

Beth Simone Noveck is director of the Governance Lab and a professor of technology, culture and society at New York University. She served as the first U.S. deputy chief technology officer and director of the White House Open Government...

Report by Natalie Nougayrède on the study tour of the Richard von Weizsäcker Forum 2018

Professor Kate Crawford is a leading academic on the social implications of artificial intelligence and related technologies. She is the co-founder and co-director of the AI Now Institute at NYU, which is the first university institute in the US dedicated...

Brian Currin is a South African Human Rights lawyer and international mediator. He played a central role in the political transformation process in South Africa during the late 1980s and 1990s. As the Director of the Concentric Alliance, he is currently...

More than four trillion euros have been invested in the continent of Africa since the 1960s, but the standard of living situation has not improved. According to economist James Shikwati, for its economies to grow Africa needs capitalism and self-confident...

Dear Readers, Over the past five years, the Robert Bosch Academy has created a vibrant community of international fellows: former ministers from Canada, Ghana, Greece, and Turkey; advisors to French and U.S. presidents; health experts from Italy and...

From June to August 2018, the American author and journalist Jay Rosen stayed as a Richard von Weizsäcker Fellow at the Robert Bosch Academy. During his stay, Jay Rosen dedicated himself to the question: What are the general assumptions that German...

More than 4 trillion US dollars have been invested in the African continent since the 1960s. However, these efforts have not sustainably changed the living situation of the people there. What has development cooperation managed to achieve so far? What are...

We have to support liberal democracy. At the same time we have to say what is. — Jay Rosen gives 6 warnings to German Political Press

Russian culture is European culture. In terms of art, music, literature or sports – Interview with Maxim Trudolyubov

Since March 2018 the Polish sociologist and political commentator Sławomir Sierakowski is staying at the Robert Bosch Academy as a Richard von Weizsäcker Fellow. At the Academy he is dealing with the political developments in his home country...

We interviewed our Richard von Weizsäcker-Fellow Lloyd Axworthxy. For him it is clear that refugee policy demands global solutions.

Our future Richard von Weizsäcker Fellow Slawomir Sierakowski interviews Adam Michnik, Editor in Chief of the daily newspaper “Gazeta Wyborcya”

Twice now Lloyd Axworthy has spent a work term at the Robert Bosch Academy. His goal: new solutions for the global refugee crisis. An insight on the tireless commitment of an elder statesman. 

„Germany right before federal elections“ was the focus topic of the Richard von Weizsäcker Forum 2017 from 10 to 14 September. Around 45 former, current and future Fellows explored Grimma, Leipzig und Munich at the study tour.

David Cameron had an unfortunate habit of misreading Angela Merkel when as prime minister he sought better terms for Britain to remain in the European Union. Dismissive of official advice, Mr Cameron insisted he could win over the chancellor to British...

In cooperation with the German Commission for UNESCO, the Robert Bosch Academy invited critical thinkers and leaders in the creative and cultural sector from around the globe to Berlin to attend the workshop “Ahead of the Curve”. The workshop explored...

July 6, 2017 During a Lunch Talk @Academy, Richard von Weizsäcker Fellow and Editor-in-Chief of the journal Russia in Global Affairs Fyodor Lukyanov and Alexei Miller, Professor at the European University in Sankt Petersburg, discussed the results of their...

During the 197 days of his Richard von Weizsäcker Fellowship, Mike van Graan travelled over 60 days outside of Berlin, visited 10 German cities and 10 countries; he gave 12 talks and presentations and facilitated 4 events.

Richard von Weizsäcker Fellow Ally Derks interviewed filmmaker Barbet Schroeder on the Doc Day – an event organized by Marché du Film at the Festival de Cannes. The interview was on Barbet Schroeder’s latest documentary film “The Venerable W” –...

Interview of our Richard von Weizsäcker Fellow Charles Landry by Marc Pachter, former Director of the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery and Museum of American History. The interview took part in the context of the event Delights & Disappointments...

From 10-20 May, 2017, the Robert Bosch Academy in cooperation with the German Commission for UNESCO hosted a workshop on cultural diversity. Mike van Graan, Richard von Weizsäcker Fellow, and Christine M. Merkel, Head of Division for Culture, Communication...

The pro-European Macron faces the anti-European Le Pen in the final round of the French presidential election. What role has Macron’s position on Europe played in his success and to what extent will it be of importance for the final election campaign? And...

January 31, 2017. During the roundtable debates on January 19, 2017, Dr. Akiiki Babyesiza and Dr. Sarah Fichtner, Research Fellows at the Robert Bosch Academy, presented their research projects on “Education in Sub-Saharan Africa.” About 50 participants...

1 November 2016. In an interview, Richard von Weizsäcker Fellow Mohammad Darawshe provides insight into his work at Givat Haviva in Israel, sums up his experiences as a Fellow, and evaluates the workshop he organized, titled “Shared Societies.”...

Worldwide the number of inner state conflicts rise. Its implications affect regional but also global structures and power relations, in particular the relations between different ethnic or religious groups. Israel is an example which illustrates the...

Richard von Weizsäcker Forum from 4 to 9 September 2016 with 25 former, current, and future Fellows was dedicated to the topic “Germany and the Refugee Story.”

17 August 2016. Philip Gordon speaks about the importance of Germany and Europe as partners for the US in current global challenges. The former Special Assistant to the president in the National Security Council and White House Coordinator for the Middle...

At the event „Still a European Turkey? Election Gambit, Kurdish Question and Turkey’s Quest for a Stable Middle East” with Soli Özel and Cem Özdemir, we asked the Federal Chairman of the Alliance '90/The Greens a few questions on the role of Germany...

22 September 2015. Richard von Weizsäcker Fellow Stephen Dinham, Professor and Chair of Teacher Education and Director of Learning and Teaching at the University of Melbourne, compares the educational landscapes of both Germany and Australia with a view to...

9 September 2015. Denis Hayes, Richard von Weizsäcker Fellow and President of the Bullitt Foundation, considers the climate change as being one of the biggest dangers for humanity. His appeal: “We have to try to cause people to care as much about human...

1 September 2015. In her time as Richard von Weizsäcker Fellow, Iveta Radičová is working on a publication about the future of Europe. It will include interviews with several European heads of states. ‘I would like to verify different possible...

 8 August 2015. When asked why Turkey should be a mediator between the European Union and the Middle East, Soli Özel, professor of International Relations at Kadir Has University in Istanbul and a columnist at Habertürk daily newspaper, has a clear...

31 July 2015. Atallah Kuttab, Founder and Chairman of SAANED, stresses the importance of cooperation in the philanthropy sector - between governments and philanthropy organizations as well as between the organizations themselves. In this video, Mr. Kuttab...

Workshop @Academy: The challenges addressed by philanthropy are increasingly more complex and globalized. In addition to cooperation and partnership, which are key to successful handling of such challenges, effective strategies and actions must be shaped by...

At the end of his stay François Heisbourg looked back on his time at the Robert Bosch Academy and lined out the most striking challenges ahead for Europe: “One is internal and that is where to take the European Union from where it is: in a very unhappy,...

22 June 2015. In the video, the former Chief Scientific Adviser to the President of the European Commission shares her perceptions on how science and culture can intermingle and create potential for more innovation: “If science and culture find...

3 June 2015. The upcoming elections on 7 June 2015 will be decisive. In the essay that appeared on 3 June 2015 in the German daily newspaper Die Welt, Soli Özel, Fellow at the Robert Bosch Academy, analyses the key factors of the elections. He points out...

This is Mirsad Purivatra’s perception of the Sarajevo Film Festival, which he founded 20 years ago and has been directing ever since. In the video, Mirsad Purivatra shares his impressions on the festival and gives a review on the first part of his...

In the beginning of May, a journalist of the Berlin based daily newspaper “Tagesspiegel” visited Anne Glover, Fellow at the Robert Bosch Academy. The result is a portrait in the column “Knowledge and Research”. The newspaper recognizes the engaged...

"The Berlinale is not just a film festival. It is a cultural event that opens a window onto other societies and, in doing so, contributes to international understanding"

April 2015. In an interview with Europolitics, Richard von Weizsäcker Fellow Anne Glover reflects on her time as the chief scientific adviser to the President of the European Commission. She points out the role of scientific evidence and transparency in...

March 2015. On Moscow’s Red Square, Chinese soldiers are marching side by side with the Russian military forces – this vison is the opening of Fjodor Lukjanow’s article for the “Welt am Sonntag” on March 29, 2015. In his article, the Richard von...

Across the globe, new types of protest movements are emerging. They arise suddenly, are often organized through social networks and mobile data transfer, and bring large crowds together very quickly. They reflect the disappointment and the growing gap...

The Robert Bosch Stiftung opened the Robert Bosch Academy at its Berlin Representative Office on June 20, 2014. As the Foundation’s new institution in Berlin, it provides renowned decision makers and opinion leaders from around the world with the...