Welcome

Welcome to the YJEA Blog!

Welcome to the blog of the Young Journal of European Affairs! Here you can find articles on how to improve your scientific research, career paths in International Relations as well as on several topics regarding Europe and the European Union. Contribute to the YJEA Blog Have you always wanted to write about EU politics and share you ideas and thoughts with the world? Have you been working on a shorter opinion piece but not yet had the chance to publish it? Then submit your article to the YJEA Blog! All […]

Guest Articles

“Cartography is never neutral”: an analysis of the agreement between Frontex and the Polytechnic University of Turin

Guest Author: Amal Sadki Amal Sadki is pursuing a Master’s in Peace and Conflict Studies at the Otto-von-Guericke Universität of Magdeburg, after graduating with a Bachelor’s degree in Global Law and Transnational Legal Studies. Her main areas of interest are migration, border securitisation, arms exports, and postcolonial theory. She loves to write and dreams of a future in Peace and Conflict research.   On 14 July 2021, the Polytechnic University of Turin, one of the most prominent higher education institutions in Italy, announced through its magazine Poliflash that it had been […]

IR in Science

What does it take to become a professor, Thomas König?

YJEA: I would like to start by asking how you first became interested in the field of political science and European politics? Thomas König: My primary interest was stimulated by a very creative and unconventional professor in Mannheim, Professor Wildenmann, who focused on political institutions. We, his students, were very different in terms of theory, methods, and substance, but we had one thing in common, namely the focus on political institutions. Theoretically and methodologically, we decided to study the interactions between political actors and institutions, first from a comparative perspective […]

European Public Policy, Guest Articles

A Critical View on the Treatment of Pushback Allegations by Greek Authorities and the Detention of Asylum Seekers

Guest Author: Ann-Kathrin Grunwald Ann-Kathrin Grunwald studies Law at the University of Bonn with a special interest in European law, international human rights law, and Asylum law.    Introduction According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, “the right to seek and enjoy asylum does not depend on the mode of arrival to a country. People who wish to apply for asylum should be allowed to do so and they should be made aware of their rights and provided legal assistance”.[1] However, looking at Greece’s border and asylum policy, […]

IR in Practice

TEASER: How do you advocate for a feminist foreign policy, Nina Bernarding?

TEASER: You can find the full-length interview with Nina Bernarding published in our second issue.   YJEA: We would like to start our interview by talking about your studies. How did you become interested in the topics and what motivated you to start your studies? Nina Bernarding: For my bachelor’s, I studied History and Political Science in Heidelberg, and I did my master’s degree in Conflict, Security and Development at King’s College London. Before my studies, I had already been interested in international affairs in a broad sense. When I […]

IR in Practice

An insight into development cooperation for sustainable development with Dr Inge Baumgarten (GIZ)

YJEA: Hello Dr Baumgarten, it’s very nice to have you! I would like to introduce you shortly to our readers before going right into the interview: You have worked for the GIZ, the German development agency, for quite some years now. Your focus has been on health issues in Africa, where you directed the GIZ Office to the African Union until earlier this year. Now you serve as Director of the Office in Togo. Baumgarten: Thank you very much for the honour of this interview! This is a great opportunity […]

Political Economy

From the BRI to the Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment: Catching Up to the Global Investment Gap

By: Angelo Krüger   On 26. June 2022, the world’s most advanced economies – the G7 – announced a $600 bn. infrastructure investment initiative primarily to counter China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). While the 2013 announcement of the BRI was initially deemed inefficient or infeasible, Beijing successfully put in motion its estimated $1tn. dollar plan to invest abroad, at least until the Covid-19 pandemic put an early stop to most activities in the world economy. With the new Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment, the Group of Seven now aims to further curb […]

Awareness Days

International Day of Multilateralism and Diplomacy for Peace – Interview with Dr Kathryn Lavelle

24th April 2022 marks the 3rd International Day of Multilateralism and Diplomacy for Peace. We had the chance to talk to Dr Kathryn Lavelle, author of “The Challenges of Multilateralism” about the topic. She gave us insights into the history as well as the developments of multilateralism and its challenges.   YJEA: Multilateralism is a buzzword that every International Relations or Political Science student has heard of. But what does multilateralism entail beyond the cooperation of multiple countries and what are the benefits of this approach? Lavelle: When we talk […]

Foreign, Security and Defence Policy

#shorts: What does IR have to say about the war in Ukraine? (with Prof Karen E. Smith)

#shorts is an attempt to get researchers’ perspectives on current pressing issues in EU Politics when there is short notice and little time. Read our first #shorts with Prof Karen E. Smith (LSE) on Russian President Putin’s war against Ukraine.   How would you use the tools of IR to explain what is going on? International Relations (the area of study) offers numerous ways to try to understand and explain the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and the responses to it by outsiders. The invasion raises issues regarding sovereignty, great power […]

European Public Policy, Guest Articles

Barely addressed but highly important: Migration Camps

Guest Author: Paulina Matt Paulina Matt studies International Relations at the Central European University with a focus on International Political Economy, Development and Refugee Policy.   The new EU Pact on Migration and Asylum offers an ambitious framework for dealing with high immigration numbers. However, it does not dedicate one single sentence to the poor conditions in migration camps. The influx of migrants is a major challenge for the European Union (EU)[i]. In 2020, more than 80 million people were forcibly displaced worldwide[ii], with over 6.6 million living in poor […]

European Public Policy

The most fundamental rights: Queer refugees in the European Asylum System

Author: Alina Mehrens   It’s the end of the pride month. So, as we watch the rainbows being taken down from corporate logos, sidewalks and the flagpoles in front of public offices, it’s worth discussing how much of a safe haven Europe actually is for LGBTQ+ refugees seeking asylum from persecution in their country of origin. Going from big to small, I want to first take a look at the changing judicature at the European Court of Justice and European Court of Human Rights relating to LGBTQ+ asylum seekers, subsequently […]