Michael von der Schulenburg

Peace is not made among angels!

Book (softcover): 13,00 €

On the 80th anniversary of the UN Charter, Michael von der Schulenburg published a memorandum in Brussels that is both a retrospective and an urgent appeal. Shaped by decades spent in crisis and war zones, the former UN diplomat describes the Charter as a personal promise and the last great hope for a more peaceful world order. In the interview, he explains why “Never again war” is far more to him than a historical guiding principle—and why the international community must find the courage, right now, to return to the Charter’s core principles.

Reading sample

The following excerpt comes from Michael von der Schulenburg’s foreword to the full interview published in the publication.

“The war in Ukraine and Israel’s military confrontations with Iran, Lebanon, Syria, and Yemen—coupled with the danger of nuclear escalation—as well as the crimes against the Palestinian people, which increasingly threaten to culminate in genocide, painfully bring home to us how cruel and full of suffering wars are, and how irreplaceable peace is. Yet genuine and lasting peace can be achieved only if there is a shared set of rules that is shared and recognized by all people and states. This set of rules is international law built on the Charter of the United Nations.

Although German often speaks of ‘Völkerrecht’ (international law), the term is slightly misleading. Because it is not only about rights, but above all about duties—more precisely, about a shared responsibility to prevent wars through peaceful conflict resolution and to respect the dignity of every person equally. This is the core of the Charter of the United Nations, ratified by 193 states representing 99.9% of the world’s population.

One might object: ‘Those are fine words, but they don’t achieve anything. We only have to look around to see that these principles are increasingly being ignored. What can such words possibly do against violence and modern weapons systems?’”

Foreword by
Michael von der Schulenburg

The importance of the Charter of the United Nations for peace

The war in Ukraine and Israel’s military confrontations with Iran, Lebanon, Syria, and Yemen—coupled with the danger of nuclear escalation—as well as the crimes against the Palestinian people, which increasingly threaten to culminate in genocide, painfully bring home to us how cruel and full of suffering wars are and how irreplaceable peace is. Yet genuine and lasting peace can be achieved only if there is a shared set of rules that is shared and recognized by all people and states. This set of rules is international law based on the Charter of the United Nations.

Although in German people often speak of “Völkerrecht,” this term is slightly misleading. Because it is not only about rights, but above all about duties—more precisely, about a shared responsibility to prevent wars through peaceful conflict resolution and to respect the dignity of every person equally. This is the core of the Charter of the United Nations, which has been ratified by 193 states representing 99.9% of the world’s population.

One might object: “Those are fine words, but they don’t achieve anything. We only have to look around to see that these principles are increasingly being ignored. What can such words possibly do against violence and modern weapons systems?”

And yet, it is not the Charter that has failed, but a political elite that today increasingly believes conflicts can be resolved only through the threat or even the use of military force. Precisely in view of ever more destructive weapons systems and weapons of mass destruction, whose use would endanger the survival of humanity as a whole, the UN Charter should today be more relevant to all of us than ever. Wars, threats of war, and the massive rearmament associated with them are not solutions. We must return to a global peace order based on the principles of the UN Charter.

Strikingly, knowledge of the Charter is now only minimally widespread. For this reason, with this interview I would like to draw attention to its central importance for preserving peace—and to the responsibility that each and every one of us bears to ensure that our politicians once again adhere to the Charter’s principles. In parallel with this interview, I have published a brochure under the title: “Never Again War—The Charter of the United Nations”; it is available in English and German on the website www.bsw-ep.eu, also as an e-book.

Michael von der Schulenburg

Brussels, 17 September 2025