by Guy Mettan,* Geneva

(19 September 2023) We heard all kinds of contradictory statements over the last BRICS summit in Johannesburg. China is winning or loosing, Russia is isolated or successful, it is an accomplished enlargement alongside thwarted financial ambitions, a mix of oil with vinegar, an opposition front against Western hegemony, etc. Some hoped for a revolutionary break from the established order and others hoped for the beginning of the end of the dollar, while many in the North hoped it would fail.

Culture as the basis for peace and prosperity

by Wolfgang Bittner,* Germany

(12 September 2023) After a few years of thaw in German-Russian relations and an initially still pale sun of peace and prosperity had penetrated the dark clouds, there is once again an acute cold war due to the war in Ukraine after 24 February 2022, which can quickly turn into a hot war. Aggression that threatens the very existence of Europe continues to be fomented, Russia is permanently provoked, and it does not look as if this tragedy of the century will soon come to an end and the peoples of Europe will return to their commonalities. At present, the opposite is the case; strong centrifugal forces and divergent political ideas are increasingly leading to conflicts, also within the European states.