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Maximilianstrasse Revisited: The relevance of “M26” for the sense of belonging of refugees  |  Research Notes

Maximilianstrasse Revisited: The relevance of “M26” for the sense of belonging of refugees

Marina Schepetow Marina Schepetow explores how refugees and migrant newcomers to the city use Maximilianstr. and the M26 centre, countering prevalent negative perceptions The post Maximilianstrasse Revisited: The relevance of “M26” for the…

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Stolen Future: How war and xenophobia are accelerating Russia’s demographic decline  |  Essays

Stolen Future: How war and xenophobia are accelerating Russia’s demographic decline

Image created by Canva AI Has Russia's demographic history gone into a doom cycle? Salavat Abylkalikov explores the significance of war, falling fertility rates and declining inward migration could bring Russia to a "point of no return" Th…

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Futures Thinking in Times of Crisis (Part II): Playing the Future  |  Research Notes

Futures Thinking in Times of Crisis (Part II): Playing the Future

Source: Canva / sketchify How can play contribute to semiotic agility and an active role in shaping the future? Katarina Damčević explores ways of building imaginative capacities in times of uncertainty. The post Futures Thinking in Times …

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The European Union’s Strategic Autonomy, Transatlantic Shifts and Ukraine  |  Essays

The European Union’s Strategic Autonomy, Transatlantic Shifts and Ukraine

© European Union, 2025, CC BY 4.0 | Photographer: Dati Bendo, 30.08.2025 in Tallinn Trump’s return to power means Europe faces a choice between strategic dependency and autonomous leadership, with Ukraine’s fate serving as the ultimate tes…

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“Wendezeit”: Helmut Kohl, German Foreign Policy and the Dispute over NATO’s Eastern Enlargement  |  Essays

“Wendezeit”: Helmut Kohl, German Foreign Policy and the Dispute over NATO’s Eastern Enlargement

Lisa Marie Freitag explores Kohl and Germany navigated NATO enlargement, enabling Central and Eastern European countries to shape their fate while Russia manipulates recent history The post “Wendezeit”: Helmut Kohl, German Foreign Policy a…

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Futures Thinking in Times of Crisis (Part I): Semiotic Pathways through Uncertainty  |  Research Notes

Futures Thinking in Times of Crisis (Part I): Semiotic Pathways through Uncertainty

How can contested symbols shape our political imagination? Katarina Damčević explores futures thinking through the lens of semiotics and cultural crisis. The post Futures Thinking in Times of Crisis (Part I): Semiotic Pathways through Unce…

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