Volume 19, Issue 1

The future of the EU as a laboratory of a transnational community of nations within an increasingly split global community of actors could become ever more relevant, the more the global future of democracy needs transnational cooperation among differently structured democracies. Yet the reality on the ground is complex in the heartland of the respective experimentation as well. Against this backdrop, the article deals with deepening and differentiation of European integration through the prism of two cases: Germany and Poland. While the former is the most populous among fully integrated EU member states, the latter is by now the biggest partially integrated member state having not yet joined the Eurozone, nor showing any inclination to do so in the future. These countries differ in many respects, to name just the Eurozone, defense matters, rule of law, and migration. And yet, in the eyes of some observers, close German-Polish cooperation is just as essential for the future of Europe as the Franco-German partnership. In this sense, the comparison of Poland and Germany promises to unveil problématiques typical for the entire EU, in particular with regard to differentiated integration.

This study examines the hegemonic discourses surrounding USAID’s leadership in post-Ebola Liberia between 2015 and 2020. Using documents and critical discourse analysis, the study finds that USAID’s overarching goal of empowering Liberians, especially women, was primarily on humanitarian grounds. However, the study revealed the significant extent to which ideological and political economic assumptions influenced USAID’s prioritization of Liberia in the fight against Ebola in West Africa. These findings call for advancing research on the concept of national interest in international development discourse and practice, as well as the political economy of aid to sub-Saharan Africa from a neocolonialist lens.

In this essay, I discuss the United Nations and its activities as they pertain to the use of blockchain technology. I argue that while this technology is rather new, the United Nations has been open to using such technological innovations to better solve human rights challenges that include fighting to end child trafficking, better distributing food aid, and reducing carbon emissions. Finally, the essay discusses the future prospects for blockchain technology and the UN.