In an interview with 3sat, Prof. Dr. Ulrich Schlie describes a world undergoing profound geopolitical change. Since the end of the Cold War and the associated bipolar order, the global structure has been in flux. The USA was the leading world power for decades, but this dominance is coming to an end. According to Schlie, we now live in a post-American world in which power relations are becoming increasingly multipolar.
China is moving to the centre of world politics as an economic and security policy player and represents the greatest challenge for the USA. Russia has turned away from Europe, become China's junior partner and remains difficult to assess in its post-war state. India, on the other hand, is benefiting from the new situation as an emerging major power. Other Asian countries are also gaining in importance. Europe, on the other hand, is under pressure to redefine and assert its place in world politics.
Schlie sees the domestic political developments in the United States critically. With Donald Trump and the influence of Elon Musk, a new political reality has established itself in which traditional rules of political accountability are increasingly eroding. Schlie advocates approaching such developments with healthy scepticism and calls for them to be scientifically investigated. Only through democratically legitimised control can it be ensured that power in the 21st century is not exercised in an uncontrolled and non-transparent manner.