Make Sense of Armed Conflicts, Special Operations, Regime Changes, Hybrid Warfare, Sanctions..? Wednesday, 11th March 2026, Hybrid Meeting (in-person, Vienna, and online)
Renowned Sinologist, Professor emeritus (University of Vienna) Susanne Weigelin-Schwiedrzik will give a presentation on the topic above. Afterwards, there will be time for questions and discussion. The evening will be organized by CONSIDERATIO, a private Austrian non-commercial organization, that is focussing on international dialogue, cultural projects and understanding, Wolfgang Vasicek, founder of CONSIDERATIO, publicist and writer, will moderate the event.
The world of the 21st century is characterized by complexity, opacity, deception, and double standards. For the average educated citizen, it becomes increasingly difficult to understand the whole context, prehistory and origins when „facts“ – often accompanied by emotionally charged images – are compiled in such a way as to distract from the essential issues and create a distorted perception of reality.
China, as an economic and nuclear power, is becoming increasingly assertive and, particularly in conjunction with the BRICS nations, is seen as a threat to the Western „community of values,“ the hegemony of the US and its allies, and the dollar standard. At the same time, the geopolitical competitors want to avoid a nuclear war and are seeking other ways to weaken their adversaries and embroil them in sometimes internal, „homegrown“ conflicts.
What might the multipolar world of tomorrow look like, and to what extent can a new system of international relations be established that – not based on hypermoralism, but on realpolitik pragmatism – is capable of preventing the outbreak of armed conflict?
How can there be developed a sense of „justice“ in international relations that is not perceived as „Eurocentric“, „Western“, „Chinese“ etc.? Or can the democratic propaganda, media and economic power of the West actually change the world according to its will?
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.