Strategic Trends 2025
Strategic Trends, the annual flagship publication of the Center for Security Studies (CSS) at ETH Zurich, examines in 2025 the pivotal forces and developments shaping global security, offering critical analysis of the challenges and opportunities in a world undergoing profound transformation.
Rudderless World: American Neo-revisionism and the Demise of Global Order
- In the opening chapter, Daniel Möckli explores how all major powers are now revisionist in their approach to global order, with the world becoming increasingly rudderless.
Russia’s War Against Ukraine: Domestic Fallout and Eurasian Geopolitical Shifts
- In the second chapter, Jeronim Perović examines how Russia has weathered Western sanctions by strengthening partnerships with China and India, reinforcing its position within a shifting global order that emboldens authoritarian regimes.
Lessons from the Middle East’s Unfinished War
- The Middle East’s volatile security landscape is the focus of Michael Singh’s chapter, which analyzes the regional and international ramifications of Hamas’ October 2023 terrorist attack on Israel.
Wither or Further: The Future of Euro-Atlantic – Indo-Pacific Cooperation
- In the fourth chapter, Gorana Grgić examines how cross-regional partnerships between Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific actors have gained prominence in addressing shared security challenges, and assesses their potential to bolster resilience across the so-called “global West.”
Digital Capabilities as a Strategic Resource
- The securitization of digital capabilities is addressed in Myriam Dunn Cavelty’s chapter, which delves into the rising “technological imperative” shaping global security dynamics.
Advanced Technologies: Control and Cooperation amid Great Power Competition
- In the final chapter, Névine Schepers investigates the intensification of efforts to restrict adversaries’ access to critical technologies while promoting deeper technological cooperation among allies.