The 62nd Munich Security Conference opened with a session titled “Turning Point – International Order Between Reform and Collapse.” Views diverged: some argued the rules-based order is crumbling, while others saw it as reformable under new conditions.
The moderator asked whether the old world order has truly disappeared, and if the world has entered an era governed by power and transactions rather than rules and institutions, referencing Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s speech.
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas traced the roots of the international order back to the post–World War era, noting it was designed to prevent catastrophes through the League of Nations and later the UN. Yet today’s multiple wars raise fundamental questions about its effectiveness.
Kallas warned that the alternative to a rules-based system is a world dominated by authoritarianism and conflict. She stressed that rules exist and are signed, but accountability mechanisms are weak, requiring urgent institutional reform.
She acknowledged that the war in Ukraine reminded Europeans of the fragility of the system, after long believing that “might makes right” would not directly affect them.
Sources – Agencies
