However, this year’s most talked-about figures at the 60th Munich Security Conference (MSC) weren’t even present.
Among them was former US President Donald Trump, whose potential comeback to the White House might seriously disrupt the transatlantic alliance, which is the foundation of this esteemed international forum.
And Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia, who was strongly accused by several international leaders of being responsible for the demise of his main opponent, Alexei Navalny, in addition to his full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which continues to cast a long and gloomy shadow over Europe and beyond.
Josep Borrell, the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, expressed sorrow that “we live in a world where there is more and more confrontation and less cooperation.” As the conference came to an end on Sunday, he informed me, “The world has become a much more dangerous place.”
This year’s gathering motto, “Lose-Lose?” came at a moment of startling economic uncertainty and rising global tensions.
In its annual report, the MSC issued a warning, stating that it can lead to “lose-lose” situations between states, “a downward cycle that jeopardizes co-operation and undermines the international order.
