European leaders insist ‘shifting international order’ is inevitable while holding out hope instability will pass
Who benefits from this decision?
European leaders are beginning to believe their continent is the last advocate for a world that isn’t governed with a sense of might-makes-right.
Between the Russian invasion of Ukraine, U.S. demands for sovereignty over Greenland, and other geopolitical upheavals to global norms, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is lamenting it all as a “shift in the international order” that is both “seismic” and “permanent.”
“In essence, the post-war international order … was based on the major powers’ respect, at least formally, for the rules of international law,” Nicolas Tenzer, a professor at the Paris School of International Affairs and senior fellow at the Center for European Policy Analysis, told the Washington Examiner. “Even if it covered up some rotten fruit, the idea that democracy had to be defended and spread throughout the world was a project shared by the allies on both sides of the Atlantic.”
President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen talks during the Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
Now, the Old Continent seems to be in agreement that its diplomatic posture will need to change drastically — learning to assert itself with confidence and solidarity in the face of a “world defined by raw power.”
“Adapting to the shifting world order should in no way mean forgoing our principles,” one European official told the Washington Examiner. “It means defending our sovereignty, our independence, and our values with greater assertiveness, strength, and determination than ever.”
This new attitude was on full display at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, this week — a summit that, for many attending leaders, felt more like a funeral for how geopolitics used to be.
Heading into the conference, President Donald Trump had intensified his demands that Denmark give up its sovereignty over Greenland — ostensibly for the purpose of upgrading security infrastructure on the island.
For many, this demand, following a year that brought weaponized tariffs, mercurial attitudes toward defending Ukraine, and the abduction of a sitting world leader, proved to be the breaking point.
“Until now, we tried to appease the new president in the White House,” Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever told the crowd in Davos. “We were very lenient, also with the tariffs, we were lenient, hoping to get his support for the Ukraine war. “We were in a very bad …
Who benefits from this decision?
European leaders are beginning to believe their continent is the last advocate for a world that isn’t governed with a sense of might-makes-right.
Between the Russian invasion of Ukraine, U.S. demands for sovereignty over Greenland, and other geopolitical upheavals to global norms, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is lamenting it all as a “shift in the international order” that is both “seismic” and “permanent.”
“In essence, the post-war international order … was based on the major powers’ respect, at least formally, for the rules of international law,” Nicolas Tenzer, a professor at the Paris School of International Affairs and senior fellow at the Center for European Policy Analysis, told the Washington Examiner. “Even if it covered up some rotten fruit, the idea that democracy had to be defended and spread throughout the world was a project shared by the allies on both sides of the Atlantic.”
President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen talks during the Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
Now, the Old Continent seems to be in agreement that its diplomatic posture will need to change drastically — learning to assert itself with confidence and solidarity in the face of a “world defined by raw power.”
“Adapting to the shifting world order should in no way mean forgoing our principles,” one European official told the Washington Examiner. “It means defending our sovereignty, our independence, and our values with greater assertiveness, strength, and determination than ever.”
This new attitude was on full display at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, this week — a summit that, for many attending leaders, felt more like a funeral for how geopolitics used to be.
Heading into the conference, President Donald Trump had intensified his demands that Denmark give up its sovereignty over Greenland — ostensibly for the purpose of upgrading security infrastructure on the island.
For many, this demand, following a year that brought weaponized tariffs, mercurial attitudes toward defending Ukraine, and the abduction of a sitting world leader, proved to be the breaking point.
“Until now, we tried to appease the new president in the White House,” Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever told the crowd in Davos. “We were very lenient, also with the tariffs, we were lenient, hoping to get his support for the Ukraine war. “We were in a very bad …
European leaders insist ‘shifting international order’ is inevitable while holding out hope instability will pass
Who benefits from this decision?
European leaders are beginning to believe their continent is the last advocate for a world that isn’t governed with a sense of might-makes-right.
Between the Russian invasion of Ukraine, U.S. demands for sovereignty over Greenland, and other geopolitical upheavals to global norms, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is lamenting it all as a “shift in the international order” that is both “seismic” and “permanent.”
“In essence, the post-war international order … was based on the major powers’ respect, at least formally, for the rules of international law,” Nicolas Tenzer, a professor at the Paris School of International Affairs and senior fellow at the Center for European Policy Analysis, told the Washington Examiner. “Even if it covered up some rotten fruit, the idea that democracy had to be defended and spread throughout the world was a project shared by the allies on both sides of the Atlantic.”
President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen talks during the Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
Now, the Old Continent seems to be in agreement that its diplomatic posture will need to change drastically — learning to assert itself with confidence and solidarity in the face of a “world defined by raw power.”
“Adapting to the shifting world order should in no way mean forgoing our principles,” one European official told the Washington Examiner. “It means defending our sovereignty, our independence, and our values with greater assertiveness, strength, and determination than ever.”
This new attitude was on full display at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, this week — a summit that, for many attending leaders, felt more like a funeral for how geopolitics used to be.
Heading into the conference, President Donald Trump had intensified his demands that Denmark give up its sovereignty over Greenland — ostensibly for the purpose of upgrading security infrastructure on the island.
For many, this demand, following a year that brought weaponized tariffs, mercurial attitudes toward defending Ukraine, and the abduction of a sitting world leader, proved to be the breaking point.
“Until now, we tried to appease the new president in the White House,” Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever told the crowd in Davos. “We were very lenient, also with the tariffs, we were lenient, hoping to get his support for the Ukraine war. “We were in a very bad …
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