Munich report reflects the anxiety in Europe

This year's 62nd Munich Security Conference report introduced two new concepts — "wrecking-ball politics" and "bulldozer politics" — which, according to Cui Hongjian, director of Beijing Foreign Studies University's Center for European Union and Regional Development Studies, largely reflect Europe's perception that the United States has shifted from being a rule-maker and guardian of the Western world to a disruptor.

Cui made this observation in an exclusive interview with China Daily on the sidelines of the security conference on Thursday. "Since the beginning of his new term, US President Donald Trump has delivered a triple blow to Europe with tariffs, the Ukraine crisis, and the Greenland issue," he said. "Europe could compromise on the first two, but the US' forceful claim over Greenland's sovereignty breached Europe's bottom line and made Europeans realize that the US leadership is unlikely to return to the familiar past behavior patterns."

Cui noted that this shift, combined with US Vice-President JD Vance's warning to Europeans at last year's 61st Munich Security Conference about what he called the "threat from within", helps explain why this year's report introduced these two concepts, both of which apparently refer to the US.

"Since the end of World War II, challenges to the order in Europe have largely come from external sources, and the strong transatlantic alliance has shaped Europe's understanding of international order," Cui explained. But when Europe discovered that the US had become a disruptor rather than a builder or guardian of their long-trusted order, the psychological shock was predictable.

At the 2026 World Economic Forum meeting in Davos, Switzerland, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney delivered a widely reported speech in which he stated that the "rules-based international order" was effectively dead, referring to the same system Europe had relied on for decades.

It is against this backdrop that the report introduced "wrecking-ball politics" and "bulldozer politics". The former refers to the US' disruption of order, while the latter describes the way the disruption occurred and the discomfort it caused, Cui said. "Perhaps this reflects Europe's sense of helplessness," he said, "but we hope this region can actively contribute to building a new, more just international order."

"This year's discussions in Munich essentially continued to focus on the world's disorder and Europe's sense of helplessness under the shadow of the White House," Wang Yiwei, director of Renmin University of China's Institute of International Affairs, told China Daily. "Europe's idea of normative power was built on transatlantic consensus, with the US providing public goods and a foundation for a rules-based global system. Now, not only is the US unreliable, it is actively undermining the system. Internally, Europe is fragmented, and globally there are even more disruptive forces."

Zhou Bo, a senior fellow at Tsinghua University's Center for International Security and Strategy, said, "The Munich reports over the past few years have reflected a sense of loss, but this year the emotional tone is particularly pronounced, even in the title Under Destruction. It is a very pessimistic judgment for Europe that when the American big brother no longer protects them, Europe must find its own path."

But Zhou believes Europe can take a broader view of the issue by closely coordinating with China, jointly discussing and building systems, and placing greater trust in a reliable United Nations framework. "The world order is somewhat like nature, with a capacity for self-restoration — but it requires joint consultation and construction to ensure it represents the will of the majority," he said.

zhangzhouxiang@chinadaily.com.cn