International

India’s existential angst to confront Western imperialism

by M. K. Bhadrakumar,* India

(29 August 2025) Reserve Bank of India Governor Sanjay Malhotra’s remark on Wednesday that the US tariff hike is unlikely to have any “major impact” on India’s economy, “subject to retaliatory tariffs coming into the picture, which we do not foresee” – and that even if India cuts back on Russian oil, the impact on domestic inflation may not be severe – can only be seen as a supplementary effort to allay public disquiet.

Switzerland and the EU

Ukraine’s accession to the EU

by Thomas Mayer*

(22 August 2025) (CH-S) What consequences would further rapprochement between our country and Brussels have? In Switzerland, the threatening trends and unexpected dynamics within the centres of power in the European Union are still hardly noticed. However, they must be included in every discussion as a matter of urgency.

Open Letter

“Israel is not my country and never will be.”

by Jeffrey D. Sachs,* USA

(22 August 2025) As a Jew, Professor Jeffrey Sachs objects to being implicated by the Israeli government in “crimes against humanity”. He argues that the greatest threat to Israel's survival is not the Arab nations, the Palestinians or Iran, but the policies of the extremist Israeli government. The letter reads as follows:

“Russia doesn’t care about Trump’s ultimatums”

Interview with Piotr O. Tolstoy,* conducted by Guy Mettan,** Geneva

(15 August 2025) No, he doesn’t have horns, a forked tail or a knife between his teeth. Nor does he eat Ukrainian toddlers for breakfast. The vice-president of the Russian Duma, Piotr Tolstoy, seems to be a perfectly normal man. Although not entirely. On closer inspection, the great-great-grandson of Leo Tolstoy has a sense of irony and an openness that are well above average for the general population.

The integration of Iran into the Eurasian axis ends Western dominance

by Matthew Ehret*

(15 August 2025) Washington's imperial ambitions and Tel Aviv's fanaticism have brought the world to the brink of nuclear annihilation. But integrating Iran into the Eurasian axis offers humanity an important way out.

Bridgehead Europe

by Sevim Dagdelen*

(15 August 2025) If a capital city is the place where the most important political decisions are made, then it must be said that 21st-century Europe appears to have three capitals: Ramstein, Wiesbaden and Turnberry in Scotland.