Germany’s belated debate on colonialism
Initiatives designed to change German attitudes towards colonial history will be important in improving Germany’s relations with African countries
Experts & Staff
René Wildangel
ECFR Alumni · Policy Fellow
Areas of expertise
Europe-MENA relations, MEPP, Civil Society, Democratisation and Elections, Human Rights
Languages
German, English, Arabic, Hebrew, Portuguese, French, Persian (basic)
Biography
René Wildangel was a policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) based in Berlin. Before joining ECFR in September 2019, Wildangel worked as a Middle East and North Africa (MENA) human rights expert at Amnesty International. Additionally, he was the country director of the Heinrich-Böll-Foundation’s Palestine/Jordan office in Ramallah from 2011-2015; served as an advisor on Foreign Policy in the German Bundestag and the US Congress; and as a desk officer at the German Federal Foreign Office.
Wildangel holds an MA in History, Political Science and Literature from the University of Cologne, and a PhD in Middle Eastern history from the Centre for Modern Oriental Studies (ZMO) in Berlin and the University of Cologne. He spent a year abroad at Hebrew University, Jerusalem, and studied Arabic at the IFEAD in Damascus.
Politicised aid: Why Europe should sustain cross-border humanitarian assistance to northern Syria
European countries should work to renew the UN Security Council resolution on cross-border humanitarian access to northern Syria, lest the area slides into a deeper humanitarian crisis
What Assad’s ‘victory’ could mean for Syrians in Germany
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Undiplomatic: The risks of Germany’s ban on Hizbullah
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A chance for accountability: Why Germany should welcome an ICC investigation into the situation in Palestine
Germany has adopted a position that the Israeli government will likely interpret as support for its policies of occupation and settlement
Haven and hell: How the EU should protect refugees during the covid-19 crisis
Even as it comes under intense pressure during the current crisis, the EU should not fail the most vulnerable displaced persons.
Infected: The impact of the coronavirus on the Middle East and north Africa
The coronavirus has hit the Middle East and north Africa at a time when the region is already burdened with multiple problems, including a series…
Wilful blindness: How the EU should revise its refugee deal with Turkey
The EU needs to acknowledge that the deal with Turkey is not working as envisioned in 2016.
No alternative: What the AfD wants for Europe
Despite its preoccupation with borders, the worldview of the AfD makes no distinction between foreign and domestic policy – and the party is using both to extend its deleterious influence
Trump’s “Deal of the Century” debunked: is there something in it for Palestine at all?
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Articles
Germany’s belated debate on colonialism
Initiatives designed to change German attitudes towards colonial history will be important in improving Germany’s relations with African countries
Politicised aid: Why Europe should sustain cross-border humanitarian assistance to northern Syria
European countries should work to renew the UN Security Council resolution on cross-border humanitarian access to northern Syria, lest the area slides into a deeper humanitarian crisis
What Assad’s ‘victory’ could mean for Syrians in Germany
Germany is a safe haven for Syrians for now – but a government decision to lift the ban on sending refugees back to Assad’s Syria would have catastrophic consequences
Undiplomatic: The risks of Germany’s ban on Hizbullah
There will be little prospect of economic stabilisation and political compromise in Lebanon if the EU isolates one of the country’s major political forces
A chance for accountability: Why Germany should welcome an ICC investigation into the situation in Palestine
Germany has adopted a position that the Israeli government will likely interpret as support for its policies of occupation and settlement
Haven and hell: How the EU should protect refugees during the covid-19 crisis
Even as it comes under intense pressure during the current crisis, the EU should not fail the most vulnerable displaced persons.
Infected: The impact of the coronavirus on the Middle East and north Africa
The coronavirus has hit the Middle East and north Africa at a time when the region is already burdened with multiple problems, including a series…
Wilful blindness: How the EU should revise its refugee deal with Turkey
The EU needs to acknowledge that the deal with Turkey is not working as envisioned in 2016.
No alternative: What the AfD wants for Europe
Despite its preoccupation with borders, the worldview of the AfD makes no distinction between foreign and domestic policy – and the party is using both to extend its deleterious influence
Views from the capitals: The Libya conference in Berlin
ECFR’s national offices explore whether the conference marks a fresh beginning for Europe’s engagement with war-torn Libya
Specials
Mapping European leverage in the MENA region
Turmoil in the Middle East and north Africa directly affects Europeans. Yet their influence in the region has never been weaker. This project maps Europe’s role across the Middle East and north Africa, making the case that Europeans can do more to leverage their influence in pursuit of core interests
Podcasts
Trump’s “Deal of the Century” debunked: is there something in it for Palestine at all?
When US-President Donal Trump revealed his much-awaited plan for peace for Israel and Palestine it was set to solve one of the world's longest-running conflict
In the media
While the UAE boasts of having prevented Israeli annexation of parts of the West Bank, Israel’s occupation and Netanyahu’s aggressive settlement policy plays no role
The peace deal between Israel and the United Arab Emirates is mostly celebrated. However, it does not eliminate a single conflict, writes René Wildangel in his op-ed
The fight against populists who have started to enter the political stage — not only in Brandenburg, but Germany and Europe — will only be successful if their illegal networks and activities will be exposed and ultimately broken up
René Wilangel comments on Germany putting a branch of the far-right AfD party under surveillance
Germany should help to end impunity for Israel’s settlement policy instead of hampering the international legal process
In his op-ed, René Wildangel explains why Germany should welcome an ICC investigation into the situation in Palestine
I think for the U.S., it’s a declared goal to isolate Iran with their ‘maximum pressure’ campaign
René Wildangel comments on the German decision to ban Hezbollah
René Wildangel quoted on how populists use the corona crisis for their anti-immigration agenda