Geopolitics expert

“We live in an era of global disorder”

At the invitation of the Carinthian Federation of Industry, geopolitics expert Christian Kesberg (left) outlined a "geopolitical situation".

(Bild: Helge Bauer)

Carinthia is an export country. Global developments can therefore also have a major impact on the domestic economy. The Federation of Austrian Industries invited an expert to discuss this.

Around every second euro generated by Carinthian companies comes from other countries. In the first half of 2024 alone, goods worth EUR 4.73 billion were exported, with Germany, China and Italy being the most important trading partners. And the United States of America is becoming increasingly important for the Carinthian economy.

So it's no wonder that domestic companies are looking far beyond Austria's borders and viewing global developments with suspicion. The Carinthian Federation of Industry (IV) and Young Industry Carinthia organized an evening dedicated to geopolitical challenges.

Global disorder and the role of the major powers 
The speaker, geopolitics expert Christian Kesberg, analyzed current global developments. "We are living in an era of global disorder," Kesberg summed up rather optimistically. Many overlapping crises, exacerbated by the shock effect of the pandemic and the Ukraine war, have now maneuvered the world into a new era after decades of geopolitical carelessness and boredom. "Information about crises, wars and disasters is now arriving in real time and condensing in people's minds into omnipresent fears about the future, preparing the ground for national populists, autocrats and despots," says Kesberg.

The USA has huge energy reserves. Companies there pay a quarter of what they pay for energy in Austria.

Geopolitik-Experte Christian Kesberg

The expert paid particular attention to Donald Trump's second term as President of the USA: "Nothing will be the same as it was in his first four years." While America is becoming increasingly isolated, other strong players who could help shape a stable world order are missing.

"An ageing population, high debt and economic stagnation are putting the country under pressure," says Kesberg, ruling out China as a determining force. Europe is too divided and economically weakened, while India is primarily preoccupied with its own national interests. We must therefore prepare for a phase of geopolitical uncertainty. The geopolitics expert therefore calls for strategic foresight.