Ukraine holds the chance for a comprehensive European peace settlement
NATO’s intention to admit the Ukraine as a full member and Russia’s reaction to it in amassing 100,000 troops at the border with Ukraine has led to the most serious…
Europe needs a new vision, not a new Cold War
When the Cold War ended peacefully in 1990, Europe was its main beneficiary. Today, only 30 years later, we seem on the verge of yet another Cold War. This should…
The Cold War only ends with NATO’s defeat in the Hindu Kush
I have always loved Afghanistan and the friendliness and hospitality of its people. I experienced Afghans not as extremists but as an extraordinarily proud, sincere and honest people who are…
A bit more about that Afghanistan population problem
David Archibald, writing in American Thinker last week, has an interesting analysis of population growth and the dependence on wheat imports in Afghanistan. I thank him for this analysis. Let…
Is American democracy failing its people?
The impeachment process in the US Congress is over, with former President Trump being acquitted. Both sides of America’s political divide now claim victory. Michael von der Schulenburg argues that…
Where stands Europe in a changing world?
Europe faces fundamental geopolitical changes caused by a decline in US global power, the rise of China and Asia, a re-assertive Russia, the emergence of multiple regional powers and the…
The UN Charter is the West’s best option
Although almost unnoticed today, 75 years ago, on 24 October 1945, the probably most important international treaty, the United Nations Charter, came into effect. Its aim was not only to…
Armed non-state actors: a brief attempt at a portrayal
The war in Afghanistan should serve as a warning about the degree to which armed non-state actors (ANSAs) now dominate the global peace and security agenda and how ill-prepared the…
Why Global Peace Needs Nation-states
The German foreign minister, Heiko Maas, recently declared that ‘nationalism is the mother of all political problems’. Such a statement must be understood in the context of Germany’s troubled history.…
The IS, the US and Us
When President Obama gave his speech at the opening of the UN General Assembly in September this year, much of it sounded like a declaration of war on the so-called…