Herfried Münkler: Europe in the Geopolitical Sandwich Position

The transatlantic West, for decades the most important anchor of the world order, no longer exists. US President Trump has weakened it to such an extent by 2025 that it can no longer be relied upon. Meanwhile, Russian President Putin is pressuring and threatening Europe from the East. Trump, in turn, is blackmailing the Europeans and has a clear interest in weakening the EU. Europe thus finds itself in a geopolitical sandwich position and must assert itself alone in global structures that are undergoing profound upheaval. A power-based order has replaced a values- and rules-based order. How can Europe assert itself under these circumstances? And what role must Germany play in this? The event is part of the series "Turning Points – European Perspectives in Light of New Global Challenges," in cooperation with the Cultural Foundation of the Kreissparkasse Heilbronn. The evening will be moderated by Prof. Erich Pelzer. Herfried Münkler, born in 1951, is an emeritus professor of political science at the Humboldt University of Berlin and an indispensable, shaping voice in contemporary debates. Many of his books are considered standard works, such as Empires, The Germans and Their Myths, The Great War, and The New Germans (with Marina Münkler), all of which are bestsellers. His most recent works, World in Turmoil and Power in Transition, also spent a long time on the Spiegel bestseller list. Herfried Münkler has received numerous awards, including the Science Prize of the Aby Warburg Foundation, the Carl Friedrich von Siemens Fellowship, the Leipzig Book Fair Prize, and the Bruno Kreisky Prize for Political Books.