International

Background and elements of the war in Ukraine

“This crisis shows us the weakness of our society”

Jacques Baud* in an interview with “Swiss Standpoint”

(30 May 2023) On the occasion of a trip to Strasbourg, Luxembourg and Brussels, two members of the editorial board of “Swiss Standpoint” had the following conversation with the Swiss military analyst Jacques Baud. He talks about the causes of the war, the current situation of Ukrainian and Russian troops and the influence of the USA on events in the region. In a second part, questions of international trade relations and Switzerland's loss of trust and credibility abroad are also discussed.

Sudan conflict

The new geopolitical battlefield between East and West?

by Matthew Ehret,* Canada

(23 May 2023) The potential outbreak of a civil war sparked by a factional fight within Sudan's military government poses a destabilization threat beyond the nation's borders – into Africa, West Asia, and the emerging multipolar order. This suits the west just fine.

Sudan: Alignment of forces and players

by M. K. Bhadrakumar,* India

(10 May 2023) The worst-case scenario is coming to pass, apparently, in Sudan. That is, at any rate, the apocalyptic message streaming out of Khartoum in the western media.

President Biden lent credence to the alarmist perception by confirming that on his orders, the US military conducted an operation “to extract government personnel from Khartoum”.

When arrogance costs lives

On the potential of Russian hypersonic weapons

by Ralph Bosshard,* Switzerland

(9 May 2023) Following his official statement on hypersonic weapons, Russian President Vladimir Putin was seen as a braggart and it is in line with the current mainstream to portray the Russian army as an inefficient bunch equipped with old junk. Reports on the effective use of the latest Russian weapons technology simply do not fit into this concept. However, a change from the common clichés is inevitable, not least in Europe’s own security interests.

Latin America and the Resurgence of the “Third World”

Strengthening the peoples of the Global South

by Juan José Paz y Miño Cepeda,* Ecuador

(2 May 2023) (Edit.) With great interest, the “Swiss Standpoint” follows the efforts of the peoples of the Global South to implement the goals set forth in the UN Charter: preservation of world peace, international security, and economic and social progress of all peoples.

Putin’s Nuclear Red Line

by Manlio Dinucci,* Italy

(11 April 2023) Russia has announced the transfer of nuclear weapons to Belarus. Contrary to what one might think, this is not a particularly aggressive attitude on the part of Russia, but rather a defensive countermeasure to the deployment of nuclear weapons by the United States on Russia’s borders. If Moscow had wanted to respond equally, it would have installed its nuclear warheads in Cuba.