The “deal of the century” is here, and as one comment in the Israeli newspaper Haaretz puts it, it is dead on arrival. A “plan” for peace that invites only one side to its announcement ceremony is not a peace plan. A plan that does not explain how to proceed after the announcement is not workable. It seems to be yet another of those strange Trump declarations on the international stage. Again - as always with Trump - it is very much oriented towards the domestic right-wing groups who are his most loyal voters, including evangelical Christians.

Die Ermordung des iranischen Generals Souleimani durch die USA und die iranischen bzw. irakischen Reaktionen zeigen erneut, wie fragil der Nahe Osten ist. Die jüngsten Ereignisse machen aber auch deutlich, wie einzelne Länder aus der Region aber auch von außerhalb der Region sich ermächtigt fühlen, ihre Machtposition auf Kosten fremder Länder und deren Bevölkerung auszubauen. Was tat General Souleimani in Bagdad, was in Syrien? Was hat der Iran generell in diesen Ländern sowie im Libanon vor? Was bezweckt die libanesische Hizbollah in Syrien? Warum ist Russland in Syrien aktiv und zuletzt auch in Libyen? Was machen die Amerikaner mit ihrer starken Militärpräsenz in der gesamten Region? Was machen Saudi- Arabien und die Vereinigten Emirate im Jemen? Und warum hat die Türkei jüngst mit der offiziell anerkannten Regierung von Libyen ein Militärabkommen abgeschlossen und sendet Truppen nach Libyen?

The EU Non -Proliferation and Disarmament Consortium convened in Brussels this December. The focus was set on the 2020 Review Conference of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), which will take place from 27 April 2020 to 22 May 2020 in New York, United States. The treaty which became effective in 1970 was and still is a milestone in the global disarmament efforts. But things have not been improving in the last fifty years.

The Chinese leadership has enormous tasks and challenges in managing and developing this vast country and in enabling its population to contribute to and benefit from global wealth and welfare. However, no country - even as big as China - can achieve its goals alone.

Visiting some exhibitions parallel to the Venice Biennale can be an interesting experience. Especially if one is interested in the relations between arts and politics, or more specifically, if one looks for answers to the question how art can contribute to peaceful development. For some there is a simple answer to these issues. They see no specific function of art concerning politics in general and peace in particular. Others, on the contrary, demand from art solely a political contribution.