Joerg Forbrig

Europe must call Zelensky’s bluff on new anti-corruption law Tell Kyiv it won’t get any money or EU accession until president Volodymr Zelensky's new anti-corruption law is rescinded, writes Josh Rudolph of the German Marshall Fund.

Will Europe act on the dismantling of Ukraine's anti-corruption institutions? Important piece by my GMF colleague Josh Rudolph euobserver.com/eu-and-the-w...

Poland’s Polarised Presidency

Crisp and clear take on stakes that could not be higher in #Poland's presidential elections. By Maria Skóra (@mariaskora.bsky.social‬).
verfassungsblog.de/polands-pola...

Will Fidesz Stop Tisza’s Tide? The year ahead Hungary’s 2026 parliamentary election | Geopolitics and Security Studies Center, GSSC (previously known as Eastern Europe Studies Centre, EESC)

Great overview of political dynamics in #Hungary one year ahead of key parliamentary elections. By my GMF (@gmfus.bsky.social‬) colleague Zsuzsanna Vegh (@veghzsuzsanna.bsky.social‬) for GSSC (@gssc-lt.bsky.social‬).
www.gssc.lt/en/publicati...

Reintegration of Ukraine’s Veterans: Charting a Path Forward Ukraine’s armed forces have expanded significantly since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, growing to over 800,000 active-duty soldiers and 1 million reservists. As a result, Ukraine now faces the...

How to support Ukraine’s 1.2 million+ war veterans? Join GMF for a deep dive into this key issue of Ukrainian stability and recovery. With ReThink.CEE Fellow Irina Dobrohorska, Mariia Kudelia (Veteran Hub), Jonathan Röders (Corioli Institute), and Iryna Khomiak (GMF). www.gmfus.org/event/reinte...

Protests Leave Serbia’s Politics Finely Balanced Serbia has witnessed its fair share of anti-government protests over the past decade, fueled by growing dissatisfaction with the corruption and authoritarianism of President Aleksandar Vučić’s…

🇷🇸 The massive anti-government protests in Serbia following a deadly railway collapse last November are unprecedented in Serbian history.

🔗 GMF ReThink.CEE Fellow Aleksandar Ivković analyses what the protests mean for Serbian politics:

Join us for this event! The theme could not be timelier, and the cast of experts could not be better.

UŽIVO Danas veliki protest, napeta atmosfera u Beogradu, raspoređena Žandarmerija u centru (FOTO/VIDEO) Studenti i građani od ranog jutra pristižu u Beograd, na protest na koji su pozvali studenti "15 za 15" žrtava nadstrešnice u Novom Sadu, hodaju peške, dok ih vozači pozdravljaju trubljenjem, čuju se ...

Keep an eye out on #Serbia today where months-long protests against the Vucic government are coming to a head. Hopefully without violence. www.danas.rs/vesti/politi...

Filling the USAID Gap: How Europe Can Step Up to Support Democracy - European Democracy Hub Since President Trump declared a freeze on federal assistance, implementer organisations and local recipients have been scrambling.

Excellent, if depressing, piece on the end of US democracy aid and on possible responses by European funders. Thanks, Sarah Repucci and @zecsaky.bsky.social!

europeandemocracyhub.epd.eu/filling-the-...

📢Working Paper Alert!

In the age of spin dictatorships, propaganda isn’t just a tool of autocrats—it’s seeping into democracies, too.

Péter Krekó (Political Capital, @gmfus.bsky.social) explores how modern regimes use social media to manipulate public opinion.
www.authlib.eu/peter-kreko-...

Digital Crossroads: China’s Influence in the Western Balkans China is expanding its global influence in the Western Balkans through the Digital Silk Road (DSR), a key element of the Belt and Road Initiative it introduced in 2015. The DSR aims to enhance digital...

💡 What are the costs & benefits of China expanding its influence in the Western Balkans via its Digital Silk Road?

🎙️ Join GMF #ReThinkCEE fellow Arta Haxhixhemajli, Ivana Karásková (AMO), Stefan Vladisavljev (BFPE) & Gordana Delic @gmfus.bsky.social on Mar 5, 3pm CET!
www.gmfus.org/event/digita...

The Great Resegregation The Trump administration’s attacks on DEI are aimed at reversing the civil-rights movement.

"The term DEI, frequently invoked by the Trump administration, functions as a smoke screen"
read @adamserwer.bsky.social on the real goals of the 'anti-DEI' rhetoric
www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...

People are getting up off the mat.

Russia’s Recent Emigrants: Mobility and Engagement

Good snapshot of new Russian exiles by @nickbouchet.bsky.social of @gmfus.bsky.social and Anastasia Burakova of Ковчег/Ark www.gmfus.org/news/russias...

Health Programs Shutter Around the World After Trump Pauses Foreign Aid Lifesaving treatment and prevention programs for tuberculosis, malaria, H.I.V. and other diseases cannot access funds to continue work.

This NYT piece describes the devastation being wrought in the global health sector by the foreign assistance freeze. Let me say a few words about what this looks like in the sector I work in, often called democracy and governance (DRG). 🧵

Musk on USAID: ‘Time for it to die’ His statement comes as signs increasingly point to the Trump administration folding the development aid agency into the State Department.

What a despicable thing to say about an institution that, while imperfect, has made a difference to the lives of hundreds of million people.
www.politico.com/news/2025/02...

Musk on USAID: ‘Time for it to die’ His statement comes as signs increasingly point to the Trump administration folding the development aid agency into the State Department.

1/UPDATES to this story include: “Late Sunday, a growing number of USAID employees began telling each other in chat groups that they had lost access to their official emails ... The loss of access added to worries that even more USAID staff will be put on leave.” www.politico.com/news/2025/02...

1/My colleagues & I have been covering Trump & Musk’s targeting of USAID from the start. We’ve heard rumblings of an executive order shifting a much-shrunken version of USAID under State. Dem lawmakers are furious, saying such a move is illegal w/out Congress’ consent. My guess is Trump team is …

Stop-Work Order on US Foreign Aid Puts China First and America Last President Trump and Secretary of State Rubio's 90-day halt endangers health, economic and other programs, leaving gaps for China to fill.

This suspension of US foreign aid, and the likely termination of much of it, is a sea change. Not least for democracy and human rights that have been central to development assistance globally.
www.justsecurity.org/106876/us-fo...

I’m not going to elaborate a lot here, but this is a global crisis for human rights work

The Strategic Potential of Democratic Exiles: Belarusian Experiences

How can exiled democrats help bring about change in their home countries? What challenges do they face? What kind of support do they need?

Deep dive into two decades of Belarusian experiences by Nathaniel Myers for the @gmfus.bsky.social.

www.gmfus.org/news/strateg...

Agree, the electoral cycle in Germany to worry about is 2029, after four years in which the AfD is the only opposition on the right.

Rubio und Trump stellen der globalen Nachkriegsordnung den Totenschein aus. Was nun? Ein ehrlicher Blick in den Spiegel könnte ein Anfang sein.

Der erste Versuch in der Geoeconomics-Kolumne im morgigen Handelsblatt.

Jailed Belarus opposition figure Babaryko seen for first time in months Viktor Babaryko was arrested in 2020 after challenging authoritarian leader Alexander Lukashenko at the polls.

Good news from Belarus, however calculated by Lukashenka's regime it may be ahead of another election farce and in an attempt to re-establish some relations with the West. www.bbc.com/news/article...

Welcome, @claudmajor.bsky.social! www.gmfus.org/news/dr-clau...

Ich sehe in einer übermäßigen Fixierung auf böse Mächte von außen (Musk, Putin usw)., die auf Politik und Wahlen hierzulande Einfluß zu nehmen versuchen, eine Gefahr.

This is all the Russians have been able to take in almost a year, at the cost of about 1500 men A DAY.

You heard that right, 1500 PER DAY

💥AUTHLIB Working Paper💥

How do the autocratizing regimes of Hungary & Russia use domestic propaganda and traditional media outlets to control the information space?

Dorka Takacsy, visiting fellow at @gmfus.bsky.social, explains the connections.
www.authlib.eu/dorka-takacs...

💡New on the AUTHLIB Blog💡
Originating from the US, extreme sovereigntist movements pose a threat to democracies. Ales Michal (Charles University) explores the movement and how its branches show up in Czechia.
www.authlib.eu/extreme-sove...

💡New on the AUTHLIB Blog💡

Why do politicians defect from dominant parties?

Dean Schafer from CEU Democracy Institute shows that in the case of AKP the motivation was self-interest.

🔗 www.authlib.eu/defecting-do...

🗳️ European Parliamentary Elections 🗳️

The far right won't dominate the new European Parliament, but its normalization, facilitated by the mainstream, has long-term consequences for European policymaking & democracy, writes @veghzsuzsanna.bsky.social @gmfus.bsky.social

www.authlib.eu/creeping-inf...