This book presents an interdisciplinary perspective on the large-scale processes of socio-economic and political change of two "young" democracies: post-apartheid South Africa and the post-socialist Czech Republic. As the political transition in both countries coincides with the intensified effects of globalization, especially with the advent of neoliberal economic ideologies and policies, the two countries exhibit a number of common features and parallels in their respective transitions and post-developments. The book's chapters describe the particular place(s) South Africa and the Czech...

Since the 1990s, the 'true knowledge' on Central Asia has been embedded in the 'five stans' (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan) spatial discourse. This book argues that, in international relations, this 'five stans' spatial discourse determines the conceptual boundaries of Central Asia. The book asserts that the 'five stans' spatial discourse is territorially trapped; hence it is limited to explain the political and economic processes taking place 'on the ground' in the region. Through a re-reading of the 'five stans' discourse, the book introduces an...

Since 1987, the Peace Report has been published jointly by peace and conflict research institutes in Germany. Scholars from various disciplines examine ongoing international conflicts from the perspective of strategies for peace. The call for Germany to assume greater responsibility for peace is currently dominating the debate about the country's role in the world. Numerous conflicts are challenging the current world order. Whether in the Ukraine, in Syria, or in Iraq, worldwide armed conflicts demonstrate in a disturbing manner that wars are accelerating, spreading regionally, and...

How can Europe ensure humane treatment and meet its shared responsibility for the causes of flight? The power struggles in Syria and in Iraq have expanded into the largest war currently being waged. An element of the conflict is the terrorism of the self-proclaimed Islamic State, a group which also evolved as a response to efforts by the West to exert hegemonial influence in the region. The Peace Report is the joint yearbook of the German Institutes of Peace and Conflict Research. Researchers from various disciplines investigate the realities of conflicts in various countries around the...