The Western allies need to review what went wrong in Afghanistan with a genuine sense of humility. Otherwise they are bound to repeat the same mistakes in the future.

A double crisis involving China and Russia as early as next year is a plausible scenario. However, the German politicians jostling to succeed Angela Merkel have presented no answers. Worse, they are not even acknowledging the need for a long-term strategy.

Most politicians likely to form the post-Merkel government haven’t grasped the magnitude of the tasks ahead when it comes to rethinking Germany’s foreign policy.