All posts by Michael von der Schulenburg
In Ukraine, the aim must be winning peace and not the war
In today’s world that is packed with weapons of mass destruction, hypersonic delivery systems, cyber warfare, space warfare and artificial intelligence capabilities, next to other awful things, any strategy that aims at winning a war militarily risks disaster. This could not be truer for the war in Ukraine where two nuclear powers, Russia and the…
Reaching a Just and Lasting Peace in Ukraine
Jesus taught the world that peacemakers are blessed, for they are the children of God. As war rages in Ukraine, the world needs peacemakers to help the warring sides to choose peace over continued conflict. The US, European Union, Turkey, China, and other countries should help both sides to feel secure in a negotiated peace…
Open letter from former UN Assistant Secretary-General on the war in Ukraine
Dear friends, dialog partners and former colleagues, I would like to share with you my most recent article in which I argue that Europe, for its own interest, must push for a negotiated peace settlement to end the war in Ukraine. History will surely come down harsh on Russia and President Putin for having started…
Ukraine: we need peace now
As we write this article, Russia’s war against Ukraine is going into the fourth week with all its ferocity and there is no end to hostilities in sight. Daily, we see heartbreaking pictures of horrific human sufferings, the killing of civilians caught in the fighting, the deterioration of basic living conditions and the enormous destruction…
The Ukraine conflict
NATO’s intention to admit Ukraine as a full member and Russia’s reaction to it in amassing 100,000 troops at the border with Ukraine has led to the most serious and dangerous crisis on the European continent since the end of the Cold War. As if the Cold War had never ended, the two strongest nuclear…
Russia’s attack on Ukraine
Russia has attacked Ukraine on a broad front with overwhelming military power, and this without being directly provoked. It is a war of aggression to gain territory and political advantages and hence is a clear violation of the UN Charter. This is the first major war between sovereign states within Europe since NATO’s equally illegal…
Ukraine holds the chance for a comprehensive European peace settlement
NATO’s intention to admit the Ukraine as a full member and Russia’s reaction to it in amassing 100,000 troops at the border with Ukraine has led to the most serious and dangerous crisis on the European continent since the end of the Cold War. As if the Cold War had never ended, the two strongest…
Europe needs a new vision, not a new Cold War
When the Cold War ended peacefully in 1990, Europe was its main beneficiary. Today, only 30 years later, we seem on the verge of yet another Cold War. This should ring alarm bells among Europeans. A new Cold War is not in Europe’s interest; it would be the loser. Hence Europe’s foreign policies must aim…
The Cold War only ends with NATO’s defeat in the Hindu Kush
I have always loved Afghanistan and the friendliness and hospitality of its people. I experienced Afghans not as extremists but as an extraordinarily proud, sincere and honest people who are scraping a living out of the harsh conditions of their country. I miss the mountains with their snow caps, the narrow green valleys with their…
A bit more about that Afghanistan population problem
David Archibald, writing in American Thinker last week, has an interesting analysis of population growth and the dependence on wheat imports in Afghanistan. I thank him for this analysis. Let me add an observation I made when I accompanied Ambassador Lakhdar Brahimi to Afghanistan to open the U.N. office — later called UNAMI — in…