It was a pleasure to follow the invitation to give a guest lecture at the School of International Studies (ZIS) at the Technical University Dresden. It is the 4th year I received the honor to speak on different topics, taking the perspective of a practitioner in a school which has a far broader scope than this. This time it was on Opportunities and Risks along China‘s One Belt One Road Initiative. Again, I specially enjoy the discussions with the excellent students there and last but not least the friendly atmosphere in the faculty. At first sight, the small red brick building hosting the ZIS does not let you anticipate what a great reach this interdisciplinary center at the TU Dresden has. I had the pleasure to flip though a folder of alumni, and the little place is actually like the spider in the web of a global network reaching into institutions like the World Bank, OECD, Central Banks, major corporations and German and international diplomacy and even NATO. I am not surprised, knowing the students and the quality of teaching they receive.
The little brick building housing the School of International Studies (ZIS) at the TU Dresden.
I also always enjoy strolling through the old part of town. Dresden was infamously and entirely destroyed by British and American air-forces dropping fire bombs and performing area bombardment on mainly civilians, refugees, wounded and even own prisoners of war. It set the scene of Kurt Vonnegut’s “Slaughterhouse Five”. Today Dresden is beautifully rebuilt, including the Frauenkirche.