Germany

Mikhail Gorbachev and Ronald Reagan signing the INF Treaty. 1987

Germany wants to try to disarm Russia again

Avis Krane

24.10.2018, Berlin.

The ruling SPD party’s representative on foreign policy at the German Foreign Ministry, Niels Annen, wrote in his Twitter account on October 21 that Russia must strictly follow its obligations under the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty despite President Trump’s unilateral decision to withdraw from it. Contine reading →

Agender
Anashkin Sergey © Rossa Primavera News Agency

Understanding the cultural effect of identity politics on national security

Avis Krane

19.09.2018, Warsaw.

The changes happening in the world, which are fueled by the exponential growth of technology, lead to a constant increase of complexity. And the more complex the world becomes, the more important the role of national security becomes, since it alleviates fear among the general population, and it provides a framework to achieve long-term goals. In such situations, fostering a sense of security among the general population cannot just be reduced to having a strong military or a robust government. In fact, the rise of right-wing populism despite a situation of economic growth, in Germany or Austria for example, shows that having a stable economy and government is not nearly enough. Culture itself becomes a political factor. The cultural environment not only shapes “the incentives for different kinds of state behavior but also the basic character of states – state ‘identity’” (Katzenstein 1996). Hence the analysis of the cultural environment becomes increasingly important in defining national security. This is even more pressing during our times of global uncertainty and increasing global instability. Contine reading →