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Hybrid Threats „with Chinese Characteristics“ – The PRC’s Hybrid influence in the EU
“To fight and conquer in all your battles is not supreme excellence; supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy’s resistance without fighting.” — Sun Tzu, The Art of War This oft-cited maxim not only encapsulates centuries of Chinese strategic thinking but also prefigures a modern concept increasingly relevant in global security discourse: hybrid threats. Coined… Read more
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The “eclectidology” of Putin’s Russia: The ideological underpinnings of Russia’s neo-imperialism
Tomorrow, Thursday, 15 May 2025, another round of “peace negotiations” may take place in Istanbul. Following the visit of British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, a joint statement was issued calling for a 30-day unconditional ceasefire — a proposal originally put forward… Read more
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Opinion: US Elections – Global Impact and the Future of (Transatlantic) Multilateralism
The US Votes – The Whole World Watches and Will Act Accordingly In the coming hours and days, as polling stations close and the world once again focuses on the United States, some things are already abundantly clear. First, this election is somewhat of a “Schicksalswahl” (a choice of fate) not only for American society… Read more
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Russia in the Bear Trap? An analysis of The Russian Military Capabilities
Before Russia’s war of attrition against Ukraine, Russia’s army was described as the second strongest in the world, behind the United States. It was assumed that a comprehensive modernisation of the armed forces had taken place after the Georgian war in 2008 and the shortcomings that emerged there. And the hybrid form of Russian warfare,… Read more
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Opinion: A Power Shift? The Influence of the war in Ukraine on the power dynamic in Europe
The quantity and quality of some of the contributions to the debate on the shift of the balance of power in Europe towards the East suggest that the new axis of Europe’s engine would no longer be Berlin – Paris, but Warsaw – Kiev. Let us see. By Paul Schweickhardt Read more
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The End of MINUSMA? About the state and Future of the UN-Mission in Mali
While the UN prolonged the Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) until at least June 2023 and is expected to prolong the mission further in the future, several western countries are pulling out of the mission. Which consequences does the withdrawal have, what lays ahead for Mali and what is needed to stabilize the… Read more
Foreign Affairs Decrypted 