Graphic: iStock/Alabady

Hamburg Cooperation with CHIOS

The Körber History Forum programme of Körber-Stiftung and the newly founded Centre for History, Strategy, and International Order (CHIOS) of the Helmut-Schmidt University/University of the German Armed Forces Hamburg shed light on central questions of international order and geopolitical challenges from a historical perspective.

As part of this cooperation, the Körber History Forum and CHIOS host high-ranking roundtables and discussions, that bring together international experts from the fields of politics, history, think tanks and civil society to discuss profound changes in the contemporary state of the world. The debates focus on two central questions: How do historical contexts inform our understanding of current geopolitical tensions? And how can we shape a lasting international order?

The cooperation between the Körber History Forum and CHIOS aims to foster dialogue on current international conflicts and a lasting global stability, and to create an active forum for interdisciplinary exchange between academia, politics and society in Hamburg.

Inaugural CHIOS x Körber Roundtable: Zeitenwende Challenges and Paths to Renewed Order. The Lessons of History and Strategies for the Future

At the inaugural CHIOS x Körber Roundtable, held on 8 April 2025 at the Körber-Stiftung headquarters in Hamburg, thirty scholars, politicians, officials, and representatives from the armed forces, think tanks, and NGOs met to discuss and place Zeitenwende in a historical and global context.

The roundtable was divided into two rounds:

We were first taken on a tour d’horizon of the internal German and West European perspectives on Zeitenwende; then the European challenges and concerns were placed in a broader global context. This first round was more historically conceived, asking the essential question: “What’s the name of the beast?” In short, we thus explored what kind of rupture we are currently witnessing, how we got here, and how it is actually perceived from different vantage points.

The second round focused on the core themes of reform, realignment, and resilience. It first offered sobering views from the Baltic states and from Ukraine – and a strategic assessment of the rapidly changing geopolitics of Northern Europe and the Arctic. The round closed with the elephant in the room: How are Europe and the world to deal with America under Trump – and how far can and should one try to build an international order without or around the United States?