Drums of a war are beating loudly again, in the Middle East.
On one side stands the military power of the USA and its regional allies; on the other side, the leadership of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Escalating tensions could, in the worst- case scenario, —intentionally or unintentionally —, spark a new war in the region. The world is still suffering from the consequences of the war in Iraq in 2003, which was launched based on false claims and assumptions.
Invited by the EU Commission to attend the celebration of the tenth anniversary of the Eastern Partnership between the EU and six countries in its Eastern Neighborhood (Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova, Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan), I could see all the strengths and weaknesses of the EU. The EU invited all these countries ten years ago to come closer to the EU in a negotiated framework. The EU did not promise future membership. The idea was to make these countries accept political principles and economic rules in exchange for economic benefits. The Eastern partners were supposed to liberalize their political systems, accepting and promoting fundamental rights and freedoms. The EU insisted also on the liberalization of trade and on the mutual opening of markets. Financial support in exchange for reform processes would be the contribution of the EU.
On May 20th, the International Institute for Peace (IIP) in cooperation with Institut für die Wissenschaften vom Menschen (IWM), Institute for Security Policy (ISP) and the Amsterdam Centre for European Studies (ACES) hosted a conference on Geopolitics with the title: “Contested sovereignties, Contested global orders? Understanding the new geopolitics of Eurasia”. Numerous experts from a variety of countries and disciplines took part in the discussion approaching the topic from many different points of view. This short contribution is based on the topics discussed.
It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our long-time and very respected board member Professor Radovan Vukadinović, on May 22nd, 2019.
Prof. Vukadinović not only had an extraordinary professional career but he was a friendly, humorous and charming person who always made great efforts to bring people together, to exchange ideas and to include the younger generation into discussions related to their future.
Since the end of the Bush administration in 2009 there has been a debate among American academics on what kind of world will emerge. Where is Europe in this debate? Europe plays only a marginal role. The main concerns of American academics are the decline of America and the rise of China. Europe is not considered to be a major power factor in the new world. In the best case, Europe is seen as a natural ally because it consists of market economies and liberal democracies. In the worst case, it is seen as irrelevant because it lacks military capacities with global reach.
Am 2. Mai 2019 lud das Internationale Institut für den Frieden (IIF) zusammen mit Amnesty International im Rahmen der bevorstehenden Europaparlamentswahlen im Mai zu einer Podiumsdiskussion zum Thema „Europa hat die Wahl? Welche Werte wollen wir leben?“ mit österreichischen SpitzenkandidatInnen bzw. deren VertreterInnen.
