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Markus Heinrich

Managing Editor at The Globalist

Markus Heinrich is Managing Editor and contributor at The Globalist. He has a long track record of contributing to, and editing for, international publications – covering topics such as global security, development, sustainability, environment, politics, democracy, economics, culture and history.

Fluent in German and holding a Masters Degree in International Relations, he has been a contributor for Open Democracy, World Politics Review, Geopolitical Monitor, Friends of Europe, Defence Studies, Japan Times, Diplomatic Courier, The European Security and Defence Union, Foreign Policy Journal, E-International Relations and Salon among others.

Previously working for Development and Cooperation (D+C), which promotes sustainable development, global awareness and local action to solve global problems on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, he joined The Globalist in 2017.

Born in Germany, studying in the United Kingdom and now living in Ireland, he is a true citizen of the world – providing insight and a wide range of expertise to support The Globalist in its mission.

Selected publications

The Eurofighter Typhoon programme: economic and industrial implications of collaborative defence manufacturing

Water Scarcity: Cooperation or Conflict in the Middle East and North Africa?

Behind the headlines, Merkel’s refugee policy is working for Germany

New Century, Old Rivalries: Russian Military Modernisation and NATO

Why Brexit Will Be Hard to Swallow for British Food Producers

Germany’s Past: From Shame to Fascination?

War By Remote Control: Is It Becoming Easier To Kill?

Articles by Markus Heinrich

Mission: Stop Iran In Its Tracks

Can the United States create a strategic alliance ranging from the Gulf to the Mediterranean to counter Iran’s ambitions?

March 23, 2024

Germany and a European Nuclear Deterrence Capability

German caution and hesitancy are mostly to blame for the lack of progress in developing a European nuclear deterrent. This must change.

March 21, 2024

The Biden (Non-Chaos) Interregnum Might End

If things go his way, Donald Trump would become only the second U.S. President to be elected to two non-consecutive terms.

March 19, 2024

Arab Solidarity? Brittle at Best

Gaza as a lightning rod for mounting frustration and discontent in Arab autocracies.

March 17, 2024

Scholz and Macron: The Battle of the Two (Mini-) Napoleons

Olaf Scholz, the German Chancellor, and Emmanuel Macron, the French President, are once again in the global spotlight. Why do they lock horns so fiercely?

March 14, 2024

Russia’s Assets In the West Must Be Seized and Sent To Ukraine

The aim of the Western financial system should not be to serve authoritarian kleptocrats. The question is not whether Russia should pay, but how to make it pay.

March 13, 2024

The U.S.’s Best German Ally? The Greens

Anybody who would have predicted that the Green Party would ever become the U.S.’s best political ally in Germany would have been described as insane.

March 10, 2024

German Self-Righteousness and the European Battle Over Energy Policy

Germany loves to sit on its moral high horse and, when it believes to recognize misconduct, quickly resorts to condescension and public lecturing.

March 8, 2024

Chancellor Scholz Snubs Germany’s Key Allies

Olaf Scholz feels free to make public claims about British and French strategy that are generally regarded as military secrets.

March 1, 2024

Tennis Balls Against the Future

How the closed-mindedness of German soccer fans explains the country’s great reluctance to accept change of any kind.

February 26, 2024

Eggscuse Me, Mr. Putin, We Need Them to Cook

A recipe for easy Hollandaise sauce.

February 24, 2024

A Sordid Centennial: Hitler’s Trial in 1924 and Trump’s Trials Today

The 100th anniversary of Adolf Hitler’s 1924 trial for treason summons direct parallels to Donald Trump’s upcoming trial for insurrection.

February 22, 2024

Puff Goes the Magic Dragon of Wokeism

Contrary to the claims of its promoters, the religion of wokeism has led to the marginalization of the essential work required to maintain and improve democracy.

February 21, 2024

Navalny’s Death and the Continuing Global Fight Against the Power of Corruption

The murder of Alexei Navalny is a wake-up call to provide more support to valiant campaigners fighting against corruption.

February 17, 2024

Will the West Fall Like Ancient Rome?

Are the Chinese the new barbarians, intent on triggering the fall of the West? Or is China risking internal failure?

February 16, 2024

China and the End of the American Dream

Why Donald Trump might get elected President again in 2024.

February 12, 2024

Extinction Of the Middle Powers? Lessons From Canada

Canada, like other middle powers on the world stage, is struggling with the new global order that gives multilateralism less clout.

February 8, 2024

Donald Trump Vs. the U.S. Constitution

The U.S. Supreme Court’s responsibility in light of Trump’s many transgressions is an occasion to invoke the dictum "the Constitution is not a suicide pact."

February 6, 2024

A 18th Century’s French Economist and Xi Jinping’s China

François Quesnay explained why he and the other “Physiocrats” regarded imperial China as the ideal kingdom. No wonder Xi Jinping must like that view.

February 4, 2024

Emerging Global Anarchy?

Many speculate that leadership of the world order is passing from the U.S. to China. But a more likely outcome could be growing world political disorder and anarchy.

January 30, 2024

The UN to the Rescue?

Why the world should pay attention to the 2025 UN conference on Financing for Development.

January 22, 2024

Ecuador: A Nation On the Brink

Can the attempt to unravel Ecuador’s gang violence succeed?

January 20, 2024

Cryptocurrencies Soar, Governments Lose

The rise of cryptocurrencies reflects the public's loss of trust in governments and the global financial system.

January 13, 2024

Paperless China?

The abolition of paper is in full swing in the country that invented it.

January 7, 2024

The Charge Sheet Against Netanyahu

13 reasons why Benjamin Netanyahu must go before he causes further irreversible harm to Israel.

January 4, 2024

The Fragmentation of Nations? Our Stage-Setter for 2024

Is the world moving into an age of economic stagnation and price inflation?

January 2, 2024

The Colombian Love Affair With Uniforms

The disillusionment in Colombia with the state's security sector which fails to adequately protect its citizens creates a national tendency to believe in the safety of uniforms.

December 28, 2023

Beauty Never Dies

Human beings crave beauty. Why then are we often failing to create surroundings that could serve our wellbeing and social cohesion?

December 24, 2023

Stephan Richter On NPR: Why Germany’s Economic Backbone Is Saying “Auf Wiedersehen”

How contemporary Germany is mostly living off the fumes of its past reputation: A conversation with Marketplace Morning Report's David Brancaccio.

December 21, 2023

Sakharov and Where Russia Went Wrong

After the end of any authoritarian regime, the future development of the country in question hinges on whether or not opposition forces come to power. Russia is a prime example.

December 16, 2023

The Gaza War and the Moral Rectitude of Western Democracies

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict’s role in undermining the moral backbone and pillars of democracy goes far beyond Western support for Israel in Gaza.

December 13, 2023

Gaza: Dividing the Wheat From the Chaff Among Religious Leaders

The Gaza war constitutes a litmus test for Muslim and Jewish religious leaders on whether they can rise above the fray and adopt humanitarian and morally defendable positions.

December 11, 2023

In Defense of Carrots

A recipe for Chinese crispy fried beef.

December 9, 2023

The World That Bush Built

The often overlooked factor that definitely changed the global equation for the worse is the ignorance and bombast of George W. Bush and his presidency.

December 7, 2023

2027: The Year World War III Begins?

Destination Taiwan? Why Emperor Xi could be tempted to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Liberation Army in 2027 with an invasion.

December 4, 2023

Deportations From Pakistan: The Political Dimension

Are we dealing with yet another Afghan refugee crisis? Or an ongoing one?

November 25, 2023

Arab and Muslim Leaders Put Limited Influence and Differences On Display

Arab and Muslim leaders' dithering and delay to call an "emergency" meeting to discuss Israel’s assault on Gaza exposed their limited ability to influence developments.

November 16, 2023

Putin’s Russia and Trump’s U.S.: Converging in Resentment?

Russians are frustrated because they lost the Cold War. But why would right-of-center Americans, long proud to be the victors, feel a similarly deep resentment?

November 8, 2023

Debt and Migration: Does Germany Need a New Consensus?

Germany needs to take major decisions on migration and fiscal policy soon.

November 6, 2023

The Breakdown In Israeli-Palestinian Relations: Where Do We Go From Here?

The horrific massacre that Hamas perpetrated against innocent Israelis offers an unprecedented opportunity to reach an Israeli-Palestinian peace which has eluded both sides for 75 years.

November 4, 2023

Emotions Fuel Gaza War and Bury Hopes of Israeli-Palestinian Peace

The dominance of emotions produces an environment in which one atrocity justifies another, and reinforces Israeli and Palestinian demonization of one another.

October 15, 2023

I Have a Dream: Netanyahu Has a Way Out

This plan means taking an enormous risk. But it is also the only hope to end the vicious cycle that has plagued the region for three-quarters of a century.

October 12, 2023

Hamas’ Brutal Attack Could Have Been Avoided

Hamas's brutal attack occurred under the “watch“ of the most militant government in Israel’s history – and has proven its ineptitude and that ignoring the Palestinian problem will happen at Israel’s peril.

October 12, 2023

The Battle Over Taiwan

Presidential elections in Taiwan and the U.S. in 2024 could add some spice to the geopolitical battle over Taiwan.

October 8, 2023

Putin, the Stalinist

Putin’s similarity to Stalin may help predict Russia’s future.

October 5, 2023

Blowing Up Trump’s Brand and Finances

Who are you going to believe – Trump or your own eyes?

October 2, 2023

Thinkin’ ‘Bout a Revolution

What did 1968 accomplish?

September 30, 2023

Why Europe Is Yesterday’s Hero

Europe is a weak link in the West’s security and will likely remain self-absorbed and a marginal player in world politics.

September 27, 2023

Welcome to Sweden: An Avid Solo Traveler’s Paradise

Camping in Sweden is glorious and brings out all the good qualities within myself. Just watch out for the mosquitoes!

September 23, 2023

Italy’s Culture Wars: A General Weighs In

A right-wing book captures popular dissatisfaction – and indirectly hits at Giorgia Meloni’s pragmatic course.

September 17, 2023

Germany: Increasingly Mimicking Italy‘s Economy? Or Eventually Turkey’s?

Today’s Germany may be threatened with what doomed Italy in the 1980s – a profound failure to adapt to a vastly changed world.

September 15, 2023

Switzerland To Act Against Dirty Cash?

Swiss authorities say they want to stop their banks laundering the cash of tax-evading tycoons, international gangsters and oligarchs. But a heavy dose of skepticism is needed.

September 12, 2023

Feeding Jupiter and His Harem of Chickens

How I put the circular economy into action – and created a lot of social interaction. An end-of-summer reflection from France's Dordogne.

September 9, 2023

Ukraine: The Case for Restricted Geozones

Western and other interested governments should enforce no-fly zones over Ukraine in order to protect objects (such as nuclear power plants) that are of strategic concern to their countries.

September 7, 2023

British Looting, Revisited

Few plunders by Western countries are more glaring than Britain’s looting of the Parthenon marbles from Greece’s Acropolis.

September 3, 2023

How Ron DeSantis Makes the Case for Bidenomics

Almost everything Ron DeSantis promises in his new plan – higher growth, more energy production and easing inequality – is already happening under Joe Biden.

August 29, 2023

Vladimir Putin, Global Despot: The Globalist’s Top Ten

A selection of articles exploring the Russian leader and the country he rules.

August 27, 2023

BRICS Dumping U.S. Dollar?

Geopolitics is only part of the U.S. dollar’s status.

August 23, 2023

Gelato Vs. Ice Cream? No Contest

A recipe for no-churn honeycomb ice cream.

August 20, 2023

NATO and the “Orban-Exit”

Why it is high time for NATO to offer Putin to withdraw from at least one ex-communist country in Eastern Europe – Orban’s Hungary.

August 17, 2023

Absolute Poverty Rises Amid Debt Distress and Corruption

New humanitarian approaches are vital instead of IMF austerity.

August 7, 2023

What Russia’s Wagner Group Can Teach NATO

Russia’s unending series of war crimes warrant a more determined answer from Western nations.

July 26, 2023

Regretting Brexit: Has the UK Seen the Error of Its Ways?

British voters now say that they would vote to rejoin the EU in a new referendum. But don’t hold your breath.

July 25, 2023

Understanding the Ukraine Conflict: The Globalist’s Top Ten

As Putin's and Russia's war in Ukraine rages on, we present our top ten features exploring the conflict, its causes and its effects.

July 11, 2023

The Power of Diasporas In the Age of Globalization

Diasporas worldwide are increasingly gaining importance. The States of origin seek to control them as they are an essential element of the new geopolitical landscape for powers with global aspirations.

July 8, 2023

The U.S. Faces Its Greatest Peril Since the Civil War

Republicans who claim to put country before party must rise up along with their Democratic colleagues to save the United States from Donald Trump.

July 3, 2023

Is AI Creating Your Food and Drink?

How artificial intelligence is being utilized to monitor crop production and design food and drink products – and a very refreshing recipe for Nimbu soda.

July 1, 2023

Greece: A Vote for Stability, Growth and Reforms

A second term for Kyriakos Mitsotakis is not just good news for Greece. It also sends important signals to Europe.

June 28, 2023

End of the Ukraine War?

Reflections on the possible benefits of Prigozhin's March to Justice – and an important precedent from modern Chinese history.

June 26, 2023

France: Europe’s First Fascist-Lite President?

Reflections on a visit to Paris.

June 24, 2023

The Many Dimensions of Adam Smith

Every ideological movement has a penchant to “cloth” itself in earlier writers and to appropriate some of their aura. Adam Smith is a prime example.

June 22, 2023

Adam Smith: Economic Philosopher for the 21st Century

The 18th century Scottish philosopher of the Enlightenment can provide us with important impulses for central economic policy issues of the future.

June 18, 2023

Erdogan: Repositioning at Home and Abroad

In a twist of irony, Gulf state support for Erdogan, despite his Islamist leanings, may be driven as much by economics as geopolitics.

June 13, 2023

War In Ukraine: Putin Can’t Win — But the US Can Lose

The destruction of the Kakhovka dam demonstrates that Russia is resorting to increasingly desperate measures. The question is how the West will respond.

June 11, 2023

Corruption: The Global Killing Machine

Corruption so often reflects extraordinary greed and an unquenchable lust for power. If unchecked, it also produces death on a vast scale.

June 6, 2023

Wars of Conquest: Mexico 1846 and Ukraine 2022 Compared

Why conquest in the 21st century is no longer an acceptable form of behavior from adults.

June 3, 2023

US Default?

Instead of hungering for power and party control, U.S. politicians should be hungering for solutions to the economic problems that vex the country.

May 27, 2023

Hirschman to the Rescue: How Political Should Companies Be?

What is the proper way for businesses to interact with the political process?

May 21, 2023

A New “Washington Consensus”: A Holy Grail?

Despite the attempt by the U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan to come up with a new “Washington Consensus,” the very real question is this: Can one even imagine a new consensus?

May 17, 2023

Why Turkey’s Elections Matter Globally

Turkish voters must not forget Erdogan’s evil deeds.

May 12, 2023

Germany’s “China Connection“ Revisited

There is a huge gap between German business interests in the People's Republic of China and Germany’s national economic interest.

May 10, 2023

Saudi Arabia’s New Geostrategic Doctrine

The resumption of diplomatic relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran signals the Saudis’ reassessment of their geostrategic interests.

May 4, 2023

Can the West Abandon Globalization?

Going back to mercantilism and trade blocs.

April 28, 2023

China’s Fear of the Freedom Virus

The West has lost much of its credibility and charisma, but democracy and freedom are still the political gold standard that all autocrats fear.

April 24, 2023

Re-Globalization, Seriously?

Modernizing the trade system to meet 21st century challenges requires moving beyond the WTO’s consensus system.

April 20, 2023

Italy: Why Meloni Keeps Her Mussolini Heritage Locked Up

The umbilical cord that connects Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni to the Italian fascist dictator Benito Mussolini is indisputable. And yet, umbilical cords always get cut.

April 14, 2023

Experiencing the UK In Freefall (Not a Brexit Story)

Skydiving has evolved into a global phenomenon. It contains some risk, but the experience is an epic one.

April 8, 2023

China’s Media and Information Warfare

One of Beijing’s goals globally is to promote its model of technology-enabled authoritarianism. Democracies ought to share best practices on how to respond.

April 6, 2023

EU: Trade War or Systemic Competition With the US?

Germany, the erstwhile champion in green technologies, still has not focused on the real challenge posed by the U.S. That challenge does not lie in subsidies.

April 3, 2023

A Short Sketch of German History After 1945

Olaf Scholz’s “Zeitenwende“ was already the third such epochal change event in the country’s history since the end of WWII.

February 2, 2023

Yet New Forms of Inequality

While the world has largely focused on economic inequality in the past, the will to play God and use technologies to edit human beings opens up a potentially dark frontier.

January 29, 2023

Trump: The Big Lie and the Big Rip-Off

How Donald Trump scammed his supporters to pocket hundreds of millions.

January 18, 2023

After Qatar: A Roadmap for Activists

Is it true that reputation laundering or sports washing is why autocrats host big sports events?

January 13, 2023

Is Trump Above the Law?

What sets democracy apart from autocracy is that no citizen is above the law.

November 23, 2022

Brazil: The Global Benefits of Bolsonaro‘s Defeat

Bolsonaro’s election loss gives hope to climate change advocates in the battle to protect the Amazon rainforest.

November 17, 2022

Nine Acres in Athens: Democracy’s Rise (and Fall)

As a veteran newspaper reporter with only a rudimentary education in the classics, visiting Athens fed my fascination with democracy’s long struggle in the era of Xi, Putin and Erdogan.

November 6, 2022

Who is Rishi Sunak?

Brexit will swallow its fifth Prime Minister as Sunak, the hedge fund PM, fails.

October 27, 2022

How Europe Sidelines Itself in World Politics

Reflections on leading European nations in deep domestic trouble, including a Germany that apparently can only think of itself.

October 25, 2022

Xi Jinping’s Contradictory Choices for China’s Future

As China’s President enters his third term, his political preferences directly undermine the economic achievements he envisions for his country for its 2049 centennial.

October 15, 2022

Meloni: Mussolini’s Come Back in Italy?

Giorgia Meloni is a cynical, quick-lipped, unmarried mother who speaks French and passable English. She is many things, but she is not a female Mussolini.

September 27, 2022

Italy: The Taming of the Populists?

What are the challenges for Italy?

September 22, 2022

Liz Truss: Presiding Over the Sick Man of Europe

Liz Truss will have to deal with problems no UK prime minister has faced since Churchill took over as the German panzers were breaking through to arrive at the French coast in June 1940.

September 4, 2022

Needed: A Clear German Stance Toward China

Why the German government needs a new and tougher policy toward an increasingly aggressive China.

August 9, 2022

Bottled Water: How Pure Is It?

Microplastics from plastic water bottles can be found everywhere — in meat and dairy products, fish, human blood and even close to the summit of Mount Everest.

August 7, 2022

Deepening Transatlantic Cooperation

The world faces many challenges. More intense cooperation between the United States and the EU can help solve them.

August 4, 2022

Big Food Biz Vs. the Amazon Rain Forest

How to buy meat responsibly, plus: A recipe for Ossobuco.

July 7, 2022

Is Russia Fascist?

No previous fascism made it past its youth. This one is a late-stage fascism. It necessarily takes some styles and structures from late-stage Soviet Communism.

July 5, 2022

The Trump House: Season 5

Is it season 5 already? Have we really milked it this much? Yes and hell yes!

May 20, 2017

The Trump House: Season 4

No, you’re not dreaming. This is really happening.

April 17, 2017

The Trumps and the Fuggers

The Trumps want to become a dynasty like the Fugger family. Are they in the same league? Get the fugg outta here!

April 16, 2017

The Trump House: Season 3

Politics. Drama. Horror. Television doesn’t get any better than this.

March 26, 2017

Germany’s Past: From Shame to Fascination?

Not long ago, Germans shunned their country’s past. Now, they are far more open-eyed.

March 18, 2017

The Trump House: Season 2

A new reality TV show has gripped global audiences. Season 2 is almost here.

March 6, 2017

The Booming Global Arms Trade

Remember the "peace dividend"? The world, it seems, can never have enough weapons.

March 3, 2017

The Trump House: Season 1

A proposed new reality TV show could transform how we view American politics.

February 18, 2017

Ireland and Brexit: Behind the Facade

How ordinary Irish people think Brexit will affect the Republic of Ireland.

January 26, 2017

Different Under Trump? Why Russia Grates Americans So Much

The reemergence of US's erstwhile counterpart from the bipolar world order is an uncomfortable reminder that the presumed age of American hegemony is history.

December 28, 2016

Global Upheaval: The Sad New Normal

Instead of strengthening and stabilizing institutions, we are allowing them to fall.

December 23, 2016

UK Media and Brexit: A Responsibility Not to Misinform?

Press freedom is vital for democracy. But as the UK has proven, mass media also have the responsibility to be truthful.

October 26, 2016

EU Defense Cooperation: Threat or Benefit for NATO?

Britain has long opposed an EU defense identity fearing it would undermine NATO. Post Brexit, the remaining 27 members can forge ahead.

October 12, 2016

The EU and the German Risk

Germany is not just a core member of the EU, it is the core member. Being the EU’s biggest asset also means it is its Achilles heel.

September 22, 2016

The West and War: Culture Driving Conflict

When the world’s dominant culture exalts war, it is no wonder there is so much of it.

September 9, 2016