About the Periscope Vision

There is a myriad of facets to the socio-economic, political and security challenges we are facing across the world. In a hyper-connected and interdependent world, economic well-being, political stability and security are interlinked across continents. Despite the geographical distance, Australia and Germany have a longstanding partnership based on shared values and trust. Both countries are committed to their international responsibilities and exercise them wisely. This is especially important in the face of existing and emerging systemic challenges which also threaten multilateral cooperation and international institutions. 

In order to capture the many aspects of the challenge we face from a wider arc of vision, we bring you PERISCOPE – a platform for publications and analysis on contemporary issues in the area of:

Foreign and Security Policy Cyber Security Terrorism / Counter-Terrorism Energy Policy Rule of Law Development Policy

Just like the real-world sighting instrument, PERISCOPE is meant to broaden our insights – taking in views from different angles. It is reflective of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation’s commitment to enhance understanding of the key drivers of global developments and promote knowledge-sharing and dialogue among key stakeholders in the political process. This way, it seeks to bring together perspectives from Germany, Europe, the Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific region to help address the pressing problems of our time.

Especially developments across the Indo-Pacific (including the South Pacific) region are a central concern not only for Australia, New Zealand and its immediate geographical neighbours: what is happening in the Indo-Pacific does matter to Europe as well. And Germany and the European Union have long emphasized their interest and determination to enhance collaboration with Australia in the Indo-Pacific. Germany’s recent adoption of an Indo-Pacific Strategy and policy guidelines aimed at diversification and new partnerships reflects a growing recognition that geopolitical shifts and power imbalances in the region will have direct reverberations in Europe. 

This way, as the COVID-9 pandemic has laid bare vulnerabilities, the resulting upheavals and globally reverberating crises are at the same time underscoring the common interests between Europe and Australia. And Australia, with the support of like-minded nations like Germany, is stepping up its leadership in shaping the international order in the Indo-Pacific. And the vision behind PERISCOPE is to provide a platform for generating insights that can contribute towards these efforts. 

The Periscope Team

Sabina Wölkner has been Director of the Regional Programme Australia and the Pacific of the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, based in Canberra, since August 2025. Prior to this, she headed the 2030 Agenda Department in Berlin, focusing on climate and energy policy, sustainability, global health, and development policy. Her international experience also includes leading the Multinational Development Dialogue in Brussels (2014–2019), where she worked at the intersection of development policy, democracy, security, and climate policy. During this time, she represented the Foundation in the European Network of Political Foundations (ENoP) and co-coordinated the EU-funded project “Get involved: Women Empowerment in Morocco and Benin.” From 2009 to 2014, Sabina Wölkner headed the KAS country office in Bosnia and Herzegovina, where her work focused on democratization, EU integration, and reconciliation.

She began her work with the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung in 2006. Before that, she was a Resident Fellow in the Central Europe Programme of the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP) in Berlin.

Sabina Wölkner (M.A.) studied Political Science and East Slavic Studies at the Universities of Mannheim and Warsaw.

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Eva is KAS Australia’s Senior Programme Coordinator for rule of law, energy and development policy in Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific. She has edited various Periscope volumes to date, and provided an introduction to the latest rule of law edition including reflections on the 2020 coronavirus pandemic. Her aim for the serial publication is to contribute to global peace and justice by promoting appreciation of the rule of law and harnessing the benefits of cross-border collaboration.

Eva is a German lawyer with several years of work experience in private practice. Starting her legal career in intellectual property rights, she has since specialised in international estate matters and Australian migration and citizenship law. Her education includes a (civil law) Master’s degree in German law from the University of Konstanz and a (common law) Master’s degree in intellectual property rights from the University of Aberdeen, for which she researched at the University of Cape Town compulsory pharmaceutical licences under the TRIPS Agreement. Prior to joining the Foundation, Eva was engaged as Research Officer with the Austrian Embassy in Canberra, covering Australia, New Zealand and 11 Pacific Island States.

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Sophia Brook is Programme Coordinator for Foreign/Security Policy, Counter-Terrorism and Cybersecurity at the Konrad Adenauer Foundation’s Regional Programme Australia and the Pacific in Canberra. Prior to joining the KAS, she was engaged as Press and Culture Officer at the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Canberra.
Her work focusses on Australian foreign policy and security, where she has developed expertise analysing the Australian political landscape, Australian defence and security issues, competition and geostrategic uncertainty in the Indo-Pacific and Australian-German/European relations. Her tertiary education includes a Master of International Relations Degree from Griffith University and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Bremen. Her thesis was a comparative analysis of Australian and German history and culture as expressed in war memory in popular culture. She has lived throughout Germany, Italy and Australia, where she pursued her passion for languages speaking fluent German, English and Italian.

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