Innsbruck (OTS) – This year’s Munich Security Conference is dominated by the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine. And an uncertain future that creates nervousness and aggression.
A week before the first anniversary of the start of Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine, dozens of heads of state and government, foreign ministers and security experts met once more yesterday in Munich for a three-day exchange at the luxury hotel Bayerischer Hof. But this year everything is different. The security conference became a war conference. A war is raging in Europe and nobody knows when and how it will end. In an effort to help Ukraine, the Munich Security Conference becomes a kind of arms exchange. From whom is Kiev receiving further military support, and following the promised delivery of main battle tanks, are fighter jets, long-range missiles or warships to be delivered to Ukraine? It’s regarding red lines and crossing them. It’s regarding the question of when NATO will openly become a war party – and how far Kremlin chief Putin can and will go.
In addition, it is anything but clear where the announced turning point should lead and who will lead in a new world order that is not yet foreseeable. It is far from clear whether democracy and the rule of law will survive – even in the West. And playing with the values propagated once more and once more in political Sunday speeches all too often mutates into hypocrisy. But one thing is clear: in the shadow of fear, nervousness and aggression increase. Not only with regard to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The saber-rattling between the US and China is also getting louder. The two world powers are increasingly on a collision course, despite the close economic ties. The danger is increasing that a kind of cold war might turn into a hot one. And how quickly an irritation can get out of hand was recently shown in the affair surrounding the mysterious flying objects in the sky over the USA. The USA spoke of a large-scale espionage attack, only to then row back a little. On the other hand, Beijing accuses Washington of deliberately fueling new tensions. And is no longer willing to recognize the sole leadership role of the United States. Distrust runs deep on both sides.
There can be no question of the end of history prophesied by US political scientist Francis Fukuyama following the collapse of the Soviet Union. On the contrary, there is once more a lot of talk regarding the battle of the systems and the pursuit of leadership on the world stage. The hope for a more peaceful world has long been buried.
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