Michael von der Schulenburg

It is as if the Europeans have lost their minds.

softcover: 11,00 €

On 15 September 2025, Heinz Michael Vilsmeier held an in-depth conversation in Brussels with Michael von der Schulenburg, who in February 2026 will appear as one of the main speakers at the protests against the NATO Security Conference in Munich. In this interview, Schulenburg—who served the United Nations for 34 years and worked as an Assistant Secretary-General as well as a lead negotiator in peace missions—looks back on his experiences in international conflicts. At the same time, he explains why he believes current efforts by European NATO members to keep the war in Ukraine going are doomed to fail politically and morally.

Reading sample

The following excerpt comes from an open letter by Michael von der Schulenburg to Pax Christi, which precedes the interview.

The words “Pax Christi” already say it all—a program that commits Christians to work for understanding and peace. Especially at this time, that should be of the greatest importance: a time in which the war in Ukraine and Israel’s wars in Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon, and Syria—as well as the wars with Iran, Yemen, and Qatar—have led to unspeakable human suffering and reached a scale that threatens all of us.

The dangers of these wars are incalculable today. For the first time since the end of the Second World War, nuclear weapons are playing a strategic role in these conflicts—so far still as a deterrent. But where is the line between deterrence and use? Against this backdrop, reports about the modernization of nuclear weapons, the rapid development of new delivery systems, and plans for renewed nuclear weapons tests should deeply alarm us.

With this development, we are putting creation at risk. How can we remain silent?