European policymakers are being urged to reassess long-held assumptions about the international system, as recent global developments challenge the notion that a stable, rules-based order has ever fully existed.
Commentary in European media argues that shifting power dynamics — including renewed US unilateralism and Russia’s assertive foreign policy — have exposed the limits of international norms when they collide with the interests of major states. Figures such as Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin are cited as examples of leaders willing to test or disregard established conventions when it suits strategic goals.
The analysis suggests Europe has often relied on multilateral institutions and ...