The recent election in Israel gave an additional green light for the annexation of Palestinian land by Israel. US President Donald Trump has already given his full support for additional annexations with his “peace plan.” It is very strange that one country would give another country the “right” to violate international law. And it is even more strange that there was no serious outcry elsewhere in the world. Of course, neither Russia nor China has the moral right nor the interest in arguing withTrump’s policies. And Europe? Well, unfortunately there is no figure like Bruno Kreisky, Willy Brandt, or Olof Palme inside the European Union today who would fight for an oppressed and discriminated people.

“US strategy empowers the hardliners in Iran” was the title given to a comment in the Financial Times after the results of Iran’s recent parliamentary elections were announced. And indeed the conservative faction of the Iranian leadership could not have had better support than the US “strategy” toward Iran, which is in effect against the people of Iran.

The United States and the Taliban concluded recently an agreement to end the fighting and to start a peace process. If the Taliban will refrain from military attacks in the next days, an agreement would be signed between them and the US. But what kind of peace will be implemented? Who are the winners and who are the victims of such an agreement which would result in the Taliban’s participation in a government of reconciliation?

Africa is Europe’s most exciting, fascinating, dangerous, promising, and all-around challenging neighbor. Even fierce critics of colonialism might understand the interest of former colonialists in the “dark continent.” Instead of building connections on the basis of mutual interests and equality, colonial powers and their representatives enslaved many Africans and promoted their own narrow-minded economic, financial, and political interests. Direct colonialism is over, but many forms of neocolonialism prevail. And as with classical colonialism, local leaders today work in close cooperation with foreign powers to exploit their own people.

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.