Nowadays, Germany is taken for granted as a Western European country. But will it remain so? Historically, the area that today forms the state of Germany, as well as the people from which the German nation emerged, has mostly seen itself as Central European or as a specifically German cultural area. The commitment to the… Continue reading Central Europe
Tag: Shortessay
New Difficulties
As long as these institutions of the EU and NATO or the US military function properly, the danger of a renewed power struggle between the major nations of the European continent should be kept in check. However, there are three developments that could lead to problems in this context. The first is the centrifugal forces… Continue reading New Difficulties
Old Difficulties
So what happens if Germany's neighbouring countries and allies once no longer support rearming the country? And how has the problem been dealt with so far? Based on historical examples, especially from the 20th century, it is easy to see the dangers this would entail. Conceived within the pure limits of the nation-state, Germany, in… Continue reading Old Difficulties
Spoiled Opportunities
Germany has been in a unique position over the last two decades. Despite its natural strength on the European continent and all the dislocations this has entailed over the last 150 years, the West was united in the view that this Germany absolutely had to expand its military capacities. This was not only the position… Continue reading Spoiled Opportunities
Different Times
In many discussions on global politics of today are two focal points many refering to, one is the beginning of a new cold war to describe the politics of the upcoming decades, the second is the analogie with the beginning of the First World War to point out the danger of an upcoming „hot“ war.… Continue reading Different Times
The Battlefield
The question, which countries are better suited to develope a policy of non-alignation, could give a hint to the answer of this question. What´s obvious in this regard is the deep difference between the situation today and the one during the first Cold War, where many states were in complete dependency of one of the… Continue reading The Battlefield
The New Third World
When delegates from 29 African and Asian states met in Bandung, Indonesia, in 1955 to discuss international cooperation in times of the Cold War that had just begun, they chose the term Third World for themselves. This was to emphasise that these states, which, with the inclusion of many other countries, gathered in 1961 in… Continue reading The New Third World
A document of fainting power
At a donor conference of the European Union and the United Nations, Germany has pledged a total of 1.7 billion euros in aid for Syrians. This is to be handed over either directly to Syria's poor population via non-governmental organisations or to neighbouring countries hosting refugees from the civil war country. However, it seems somewhat… Continue reading A document of fainting power
The Power of the Conservatives
In addition to these weaknesses of the reform-oriented forces, the strong position of power of the more radical faction also plays a major role. The country's Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, who is both head of state and commander-in-chief of the armed forces, politically dates back to the time of the revolution. He has been in… Continue reading The Power of the Conservatives
China and Iran
During the visit of Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi to Tehran, he and his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif signed a document on mutual "comprehensive cooperation". This involves the establishment of a strategic partnership that is to last for an initial period of 25 years. The partnership will cover various areas, with a special focus… Continue reading China and Iran
Simon Dierich 