US-President Trump’s unilateral sanctions on Iran have one useful side-effect: they shake other big players of world politics so much that their national strategies become visible to a wider audience of observers, either by way of being redefined or by way of confirmation. We look at India and China. India, which does so little to…

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas’ call for a new international payment system is but part of Europe coming out on its own. Independent of Trump’s USA. For the large majority of Europeans, the 2nd WW comes out of history books or at most from an octogenarian’s tale in the family. Yet the most relevant consequence…

In his recent appearances at different summits, Trump’s behavior followed a certain pattern. Is it just the mad behavior of a hooligan in international affairs? Does he follow a long-term game plan of radical ‘Realpolitik’ where might ultimately trumps (sic) right? Or does he represent a major shift in the system of international relations? Probably…

The relatively new strategic term “Indo-Pacific” is getting internationally acknowledged. The Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has put it at the centre of his strategic outreach; the US Secretary of Defence James Mattis has publicly recognized its relevance and the Hawaii-based US Pacific Command in charge of US military activities in the Pacific has been…

For India’s prestige and strategic image, the so-called Doklam standoff last year ended in a tactical advantage. Chinese troops and road construction teams had to withdraw from a contested corner at the Bhutan-China border. Since then, Indian armed forces have seemed to be able and willing to oppose Chinese attempts to challenge the common border…

The ongoing discussion in many countries of the Asia-Pacific with regard to future attitude towards China, and the equivalent discussion in and among European countries regarding Russia – as exemplary shown in the context of the Skripal poisoning incident in London – have a common denominator. How should countries in either region handle their relations…

Iran remains a topic in moves of world powers and others: a) the USA may follow increasingly Trump’s inclinations against Iran; b) France has unsuccessfully tried to mediate between Iran’s claims to a sovereign missile defence and the US’ tentative rejection of the Nuclear Agreement; c) Switzerland has upgraded its trade relations with Iran. The…