International Reports

As global tensions rise, the world’s oceans are becoming the new frontline of foreign policy. From undersea cables to critical pipelines, maritime infrastructure is increasingly under threat. In this episode, we speak with Ferdinand Gehringer, policy advisor on homeland and cybersecurity issues at the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, about Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet” and the growing challenges in securing the seas. What risks are we facing, and how prepared is Germany to respond?

Lake Chad, once the sixth-largest lake in the world, is now a shrinking, lawless zone at the heart of Africa’s Sahel region. Ulf Laessing, Head of Sahel Program at the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, speaks about how climate change, weak governance, and armed jihadists are turning the lake into a humanitarian and security crisis zone and why the world should be paying attention.

Few places reveal the fault lines of global power like the South China Sea. As China asserts sweeping territorial claims, the Philippines and Vietnam respond -boldly, but in strikingly different ways. What drives their strategies? And what is at stake for the region and the world? With on-the-ground insights from Daniela Braun, Head of the Philippines Office of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, and Florian Feyerabend, Head of the Vietnam Office, this episode examines the political and security dynamics shaping the region.