When? On Wednesday, March 11th 2026
Where? Vienna (Austria), Hybrid Meeting (in-person and online)
Language: English
Access: free, but registration is required.
First come, first served
The lecture and discussion were transmitted and recorded via Zoom, participants could join not only in-person in Vienna, but also online from other countries (chat, audio or
video).
The recording can be found here.
Summary of the lecture:
In this lecture, Susanne Weigelin-Schwiedrzik provides an overview of a world in flux, in which China, Russia, but also India and the BRICS countries are challenging the established hegemon, the USA. She explains the significance of strategic power triangles—larger ones like that between the USA, China, and Russia, as well as smaller ones like Russia, Ukraine, and the EU—for understanding current geopolitical conflicts. The world order has been changed in most cases through wars; only twice—through the rapprochement between the USA and China in the early 1970s and through the collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s—has it been changed peacefully. Since both China and the Russian Federation are nuclear powers, the US is refraining from a direct military confrontation. China currently differs from the Russian Federation and the US in that it does not use military means to enforce its security interests, but rather relies on economic means. China has already forged its own alliances with a number of countries in Africa, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and South America, not least the BRICS nations. China's close economic ties and alliances with Iran and Russia are particularly in the media spotlight, as these countries have been embroiled in regional conflicts for some time. However, the US is also involved in the simmering conflict between China and Taiwan as a "hidden player," attempting to exploit regional crises for its own benefit. In this context, methods of hybrid warfare must also be mentioned. These are, of course, not only used by the US and Russia, and through covert operations, for example, they have long blurred the boundaries of war and peace as defined by international law. To avoid overstretching its own military resources, the US strives to have regional powers (Germany, Israel, Japan, Ukraine, etc.) act as proxies in its interest, i.e., in the interest of the hegemon. However, in a remarkable turn of events, the current US president is attempting to bring the Russian Federation closer to the US through negotiations, thereby weakening its alliance with China.
em. Univ.Prof. Dr. Susanne Weigelin-Schwiedrzik (Ph.D. 1982, Ruhr University Bochum) is a professor emeritus of Chinese Studies at the University of Vienna and member of the Austrian Academy of Science. Her research has been focused on the writing of modern and contemporary Chinese history, the history of East Asia and the politics of memory in the PRC. In addition, she publishes on Chinese politics with a focus on Chinese foreign policies. She also works as an expert at the Center for Strategic Analysis (CSA) in Vienna.
Brief biographies of the international experts in the discussion after the lecture (in alphabetical order):
Dr. Petr Drulák (CZECH REPUBLIC) Professor, University of West Bohemia; Founding Chairman, Svatopluk
Petr Drulák is Czech scholar, diplomat and activist, Professor at the Department of Politics and International Relations at the University of West Bohemia in Pilsen, and the founding chairman of the Czech association Svatopluk. He was the Ambassador of the Czech Republic to France and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs. He publishes on international relations and on Czech politics.
Dr Kingsley Makhubela, PhD CEO (SOUTH AFRICA)
Dr Kingsley Makhubela has had an illustrious and distinguished career in the public service having recently concluded his tenure as the Director-General of the Department of Tourism and prior to that, holding, amongst others, the position of Chief of State Protocol at the Department of International Relations and Co-operation. Dr Makhubela has also been at the helm of positioning South Africa in Portugal and Kenya during his tours of duty as Ambassador and High Commissioner respectively. As Director-General at the Department of Tourism, Dr Makhubela was an integral part of the team leading South Africa’s hosting of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, the first in Africa. With the Department having been a part of the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism before 2009, Dr Makhubela was also responsible for ensuring the effective and efficient functioning of the Department as a single entity. During Dr Makhubela’s term of office at the Department of Tourism he, amongst others, displayed a competence in bringing together a range of stakeholders in positioning South Africa as a preferred tourism destination. Dr Makhubela also has a long career in the diplomatic service, serving most recently as the Chief of State Protocol at the Department of International Relations and Co-operation. In this portfolio, Dr Makhubela was responsible for co-ordinating all incoming and outgoing international visits by the President, Deputy President, Minister of International Relations and Co-operation, all visiting Head of State and Government and a host of other dignitaries. He was also responsible for formulating and implementing South Africa in, particularly, the East African region. Dr Makhubela has also served South Africa in the capacity of Ambassador to Portugal from 1996-2001 and as High Commissioner to Kenya from 2001-2005. Holding a Master’s degree in Diplomacy from the University of Pretoria, Dr Makhubela also completed his PhD at the end of 2016 looking at the conflict in Somalia, at the School of Political Science at the University of Pretoria.
Dr. Raj Kumar Sharma, PhD (INDIA)
Dr. Raj Kumar Sharma is Senior Research Fellow at NatStrat & holds a doctorate from Russian and Central Asian Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. Earlier, he was Maharishi Kanad Post-Doc Fellow at Delhi School of Transnational Affairs, University of Delhi. His Post-Doc Fellowship research paper, ‘Afghanistan Factor in India-Russia Relationship’ has been published by India Quarterly Journal in its G20 Special Edition, December 2023. Dr. Sharma has also worked at the Faculty of Political Science, Indira Gandhi National Open University, United Service Institution of India and Press Trust of India. He has almost 90 publications including books; SCOPUS-indexed articles, UGC Care Listed articles, occasional papers, online commentaries and newspaper op-eds. He has written articles for Indian newspapers including The Hindu, Indian Express, Financial Express and Business Standard. Dr Sharma has also written for Nikkei Asian Review, Japan. He is a member of the India-Central Asia Foundation and the United Service Institution of India and regularly participates in national and international conferences.
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Last but not least, I would like to sincerely thank Grad. Eng. Karl-Heinz Hinrichs, the head of the peace movement EVAL ("Ehrfurcht Vor Allem Leben", translated: Reverence for all life), for forwarding the information about the event to its members. Also, I appreciate the participation of Dr. Wilfried Leisch, head of "Gewerkschafter*innen gegen Atomenergie und Krieg" (translated: Trade unionists against nuclear energy and war) in the discussion.
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Where? Vienna (Austria), Hybrid Meeting (in-person and online)
Language: English
Access: free, but registration is required.
First come, first served