Karen Cheung’s first book charts the acceleration of a vanishing way of life in Hong Kong amid China’s creeping influence.
Olaf and Volodymyr: A Double Portrait

The politician who had prepared himself all his life for his top role flops. Meanwhile, the man who had made a career as a comedian on TV turns out to be a very determined and successful statesman.
Needed: A Second Earth-Shaking Scholz Speech

To provide Germany with proper orientation in times of historic misses, the German Chancellor has to show a lot more courage. All parties have a lot of explaining to do.
The Legal Consequences of Russia’s War of Aggression

Recent history reveals the need for the adherence of all nations to a new international security framework.
Zelensky’s Next Headache: Money

Ukraine needs billions to run Its government. As its economy dives, its budget spending soars. The global community needs to step up.
The Evasive Mr. Scholz

On Ukraine and Russia, Germany’s Chancellor Olaf Scholz is not acting thoughtfully and with a cool head. Rather, he is damaging Germany’s reputation – and his own party.
Putin’s Perverted Genocidal “Logic”

The international community should pay much closer attention to the completely perverted reasoning behind Putin calling for a “de-Nazification” of Ukraine.
“That Prison Without Leisure Which is Called Russia”

Astolphe De Custine’s “Letters from Russia” – (1843): What de Tocqueville is to America, de Custine is to Russia.
That Cold January 20, 2025

Living in a world where Xi and even Putin still stand tall and U.S. and European interests over how to deal with Russia and China differ significantly.
Gazprom: The Dark Shadow Over Europe

In the run-up to the Ukraine invasion, Gazprom has conclusively proven that it is not a business but a politico-military enterprise – a central part of Putin’s war-making kit.