Political scientist and democracy researcher Wolfgang Merkel at “hard but fair” in May 2022.
Image: WDR/Oliver Ziebe
The amplification and selection effects of social media are having a full impact on the Ukraine debate. Society here is growing tired of dealing with the war. how come
TAlkshows, guest contributions and open letters: There is currently a lot of discussion about how things can continue in Eastern Europe. In the media, very different approaches to the topic meet. Politicians naturally view Russia’s war against Ukraine differently than journalists or academics. Military experts analyze a war differently than political scientists, peace and conflict researchers. Experts on Eastern Europe bring linguistic and regional knowledge of a region to the debate that until recently was a white spot for many Germans.
In the current issue of the magazine “Osteuropa”, the Eastern Europe historian Karl Schlögel writes about the Ukraine that “this big country” did not exist for the post-war generation, “or only as a fringe, as a disruptive factor”. Today, on the one hand, there are those who support arms deliveries to Ukraine and want to bring Russia to the negotiating table by increasing the cost of the war. They are often accused of warmongering. On the other side are those who want to negotiate immediately and end the war. They do not believe that the Ukrainians’ struggle for survival will be successful in the long term. Instead, the conflict is damaging Europe’s relationship with Russia. Inflation and a possible cold winter are the consequences.