Volker Perthes

Writing for PS since 2004
22 commentaries
0 videos & podcasts

Volker Perthes is Chairman and Director of Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik, the German Institute for International and Security Affairs, Berlin.

Sort by: Latest Popular Show: All On Point

The US and Iran Are Playing a Dangerous Game
Getty Images

The US and Iran Are Playing a Dangerous Game

Oct 1, 2019 Volker Perthes worries that the countries' asymmetric conflict is likely to escalate before diplomacy can defuse it.

3
Toward European Strategic Autonomy
Bernd Wüstneck/picture alliance via Getty Images

Toward European Strategic Autonomy

Apr 4, 2019 Volker Perthes explains how Europe could increase its military and economic security in a rapidly changing world.

2
Sustaining Europe’s Security Trio
Geoff Robins/AFP/Getty Images

Sustaining Europe’s Security Trio

Aug 28, 2018 Volker Perthes advocates closer cooperation among France, Germany, and the United Kingdom, even after Brexit.

2
A Baltic Test for European Arms Control
Raigo Pajula/Stringer

A Baltic Test for European Arms Control

Feb 15, 2017 Volker Perthes & Oliver Meier advocate a new NATO-Russia security dialogue to reduce the risk of conflict in the region.

5
The Limits of German Power

The Limits of German Power

Feb 5, 2016 Volker Perthes pins hope of a greater global role on a strong, unified European foreign and defense policy.

6

The Fall of the Berlin Wall and Social Democracy

Daron Acemoglu

The fall of the Berlin Wall heralded not only the collapse of communism in Europe, but also the destruction of a broader – and far more constructive – social-democratic compact. To prevent a return to extremism and instability, that compact must be refashioned for the twenty-first century.

China’s Risky Endgame in Hong Kong

Minxin Pei

In 2017, Chinese President Xi Jinping declared that by the time the People’s Republic celebrates its centenary in 2049, it should be a “great modern socialist country” with an advanced economy. But following through with planned measures to tighten mainland China's grip on Hong Kong would make achieving that goal all but impossible.