India-Pakistan clash: the dangerous ‘new normal' – DW – 05/24/2025
Both sides have claimed victory in the most recent violent confrontation over Kashmir. DW's security podcast Global Eyes takes a look at the implications for South Asia as well as China and US.
Both India and Pakistan are claiming victory in their most recent violent clash over Kashmir. Indian PM Narendra Modi and his counterpart in Islamabad Shehbaz Sharif however welcomed the truce, which US President Donald Trump proudly claimed had ended the 500 years of fighting between the two sides —Kashmir has repeatedly been a source of conflict between India and Pakistan since the end of British colonial rule in 1947.
China's close relationship with Pakistan appears to have become even closer. Pakistan Army Chief—Field Marshal Aasim Munir has seen his public approval rating soar. Islamabad relied on Chinese-made missiles and aircraft which faced India's Western-made military technology for the first time. Both sides also deployed drones in the conflict. India has said Pakistan will not get water from Indian-controlled rivers—which would breach water sharing agreements that have withstood previous wars between the two nations.
And what of the people of Kashmir—what do they want for their future and is anybody asking them?
Guests Praveem Donthi of the International Crisis Group and indpendent analyst Sahar Khan join our hosts to look at the domestic, regional and interntional implications of the clash between the nuclear-armed rivals. Are there really any winners?
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How the fragile US-China trade truce is unraveling – DW – 06/05/2025
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The munition searchers combing North Sea sands for WWII duds , To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video German federal states bear brunt of costs In Germany, where most of the bombs that are defused are from World War II and were made by the Allies, it is the federal states that bear the majority of the costs of their disposal. It is the German state that is responsible for German-made bombs going back to the era of the German Reich (1871 – 1945). Attempts to make it responsible for all the unexploded bombs in Germany have so far been unsuccessful. Last year, explosive ordnance disposal cost North Rhine-Westphalia €20 million ($23 million). While the costs rise, the technology used for bomb disposal has evolved. While in the 1990s, clearers still used their own hands, hammers, chisels and water pump pliers, today abrasive waterjet cutting is used to neutralize explosive devices. 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The defusing of the three bombs in Cologne is not just an operation that has disrupted weddings and people's daily routines but it bears witness once again to the destruction of war, whether in Germany or France, Vietnam or Laos, Syria, Ukraine or Gaza. This article was translated from German.
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German FM: Germany to ramp up defense spending To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Tariffs and defense Germany is also seeking to assume a greater leadership role in Europe. The joint visit made to Kyiv by the heads of state of Germany, France, Great Britain and Poland to show their support, which was initiated by Merz, demonstrated Europe's willingness to meet the American demand that it takes responsibility for its own security affairs. In return, Merz and other European leaders hope to work with the US to increase pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin. On the issue of tariffs, Merz has no authority to negotiate because trade policy is a EU matter. But as an export nation, Germany is getting hit hard by trade barriers. On the day Merz departed, US import tariffs on European steel and aluminum doubled to 50%. The chancellor is likely to urge both sides to avoid an escalating trade conflict in which everyone loses. Friedrich Merz is very much a trans Atlanticist. He is likely to try to convince Donald Trump that it is also in his own interest for the US to remain committed to Europe. But political scientist Carlo Masala is pessimistic: "I believe that any long-term strategy that can work must assume that the United States will pull out of the negotiations between Russia and Ukraine." Europeans will have to be prepared for the US, as Ukraine's most important supporter, to withdraw, Masala said. "And to move quickly when it comes to the question of European defense capabilities and sovereignty," he said. "That is the long-term strategy." Trump threatens 50% tariffs on EU imports To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Will Trump visit his ancestral home in Germany? With the new federal government made up of the conservative CDU/CSU and the Social Democrats (SPD), a new style has also emerged in foreign policy. Former Green Party Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock was sometimes criticized for being moralizing and patronizing. The new government now wants to focus more on common interests and finding compromises, even with difficult partners, such as the Trump administration. The conflicts between Germany and the US are numerous, and Friedrich Merz and Donald Trump are very different characters. But the German chancellor is determined to engage openly with the US president. Echoing a move by former Chancellor Angela Merkel, Friedrich Merz has invited the US president to visit the homeland of his ancestors. Trump's grandfather, Friedrich Trump, grew up in the winegrowing village of Kallstadt in the Palatinate region of Germany before emigrating to the US. It is not yet known whether Trump will accept the invitation this time. This article was originally written in German. While you're here: Every Tuesday, DW editors round up what is happening in German politics and society. You can sign up here for the weekly email newsletter, Berlin Briefing.
