The German colonial empire was the first of the European overseas empires of modern times to be dissolved. From 1919, German politics and society had to adjust to a world order that continued to be dominated by rival European global powers. This had a direct impact on German foreign policy, trade and consumption, as well as on science and culture; it also shaped the self-image of German society and its conceptions of the world.

Colombia’s 2016 peace agreement with the FARC guerrillas sought to end fifty years of war and won President Juan Manuel Santos the Nobel Peace Prize. Yet Colombian society rejected it in a polarising referendum, amid an emotive disinformation campaign. Gwen Burnyeat joined the Office of the High Commissioner for Peace, the government institution responsible for peace negotiations, to observe and participate in an innovative 'peace pedagogy' strategy to explain the agreement to Colombian society.