There are conferences that confirm the world order, and others that announce it. Munich 2026 unquestionably belongs to the second category. Not because formal decisions were made there—security conferences are not decision-making summits—but because the language changed, and in diplomacy, language always precedes facts.
While the substance of the American message remains demanding, particularly with regard to financial burden sharing, Rubio’s approach has helped to restore a dialogue that seemed to have broken down. This American “strategic realism” now encounters a Europe in the midst of change, driven by the new dynamism of Chancellor Friedrich Merz and the desire for rearmament among its neighbors. Between the Ukrainian emergency highlighted by Volodymyr Zelensky and Emmanuel Macron’s ambitions for autonomy, MSC 2026 is shaping the contours of a Europe that is no longer content to observe, but is finally seeking its own voice as a power.