MUNICH, Germany – The 61st Munich Security Conference, MSC, convenes today in Germany, drawing world leaders, policymakers, and security experts to discuss global security challenges and shifting geopolitical dynamics.
Against the backdrop of a changing international order, this year’s conference is expected to focus on multipolarization, transatlantic relations, and the role of the Global South in shaping the future of global governance.
The three-day forum, which runs from February 14 to 16, comes at a pivotal moment, with the second Trump administration reshaping U.S. foreign policy, Europe facing internal political shifts, and ongoing global crises challenging the post-Cold War security framework.
Multipolarization: A Changing Global Order
In the lead-up to the conference, the Munich Security Report 2025, titled “Multipolarization,” highlighted the decline of a U.S.-dominated unipolar world and the emergence of a multipolar global system. The report suggests that while the full extent of multipolarization is still debated, it is clear that power is increasingly diffused among multiple global actors, rather than concentrated in Washington.
“It has become a truism of foreign policy debates that the world is becoming ever more ‘multipolar.’ While the extent to which today’s world is already multipolar is debatable, the world’s ‘multipolarization’ is a fact,” the report states.
The shift reflects Europe’s evolving view of global affairs. In previous years, MSC themes such as “Unlearning Helplessness” (2022), “Re:vision” (2023), and “Lose-Lose?” (2024) underscored concerns over Western decline. However, the 2025 focus on multipolarization indicates a more pragmatic and balanced approach toward global power distribution.
The report also criticizes U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent geopolitical moves, including threats to acquire Greenland, reclaim control of the Panama Canal, and incorporate Canada as the 51st U.S. state.
Additionally, Trump’s withdrawal from international organizations such as the World Health Organization, the Paris Agreement, and the United Nations Human Rights Council has raised concerns among European allies about Washington’s reliability as a global leader.
“Washington is not perceived as an anchor of stability, but rather a risk to be hedged against,” the report states, reflecting growing European unease over U.S. unpredictability under the Trump administration.
Transatlantic Relations: A Fractured Alliance
The future of transatlantic relations, a central theme of the Munich Security Conference since its inception in 1963, looms large this year. With Trump’s “America First” foreign policy casting doubt on the United States’ commitment to NATO, European leaders are increasingly concerned about their security independence.
According to the report, Trump’s presidency has effectively buried the U.S. post-Cold War foreign policy consensus, with growing signs that the U.S. may shift more of Europe’s defense burden onto its NATO allies. The report’s use of the word “bury” underscores Europe’s realization that the U.S. under Trump is no longer a steadfast partner in security matters.
“We Europeans must really take our destiny into our own hands,” MSC Chairman Christoph Heusgen said, echoing former German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s 2017 call for Europe to pursue greater strategic autonomy.
Heusgen also noted that Trump’s reduced security commitments to NATO and Ukraine, along with his administration’s trade protectionism and alignment with European populist movements, threaten to further destabilize the European Union.
“The United States will engage selectively in international affairs, only when its narrowly defined interests are at stake,” said Xiao Qian, deputy director of the Center for International Security and Strategy at Tsinghua University, who will attend MSC 2025.
The Global South: A More Inclusive Dialogue
Recognizing the rise of emerging economies in shaping global governance, MSC 2025 has placed unprecedented focus on the Global South. For the first time, nearly 30% of the conference speakers will be from developing nations, reflecting a broader effort to amplify perspectives from Africa, Latin America, and Asia.
Heusgen emphasized the importance of ensuring the MSC reflects the emerging multipolar reality, noting that nations in the Global South view the shifting world order with greater optimism than their Western counterparts. The Munich Security Index 2025 found that people in Brazil, India, South Africa, and China are more optimistic about multipolarity compared to respondents in G7 nations.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who is also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, will attend MSC 2025 to share Beijing’s perspective on global governance. According to China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun, Wang will elaborate on China’s vision for a more equal and orderly multipolar world.
“China has always been a member of the Global South and will continue to champion the interests of the developing world,” said Wang.
Europe’s Search for Stability
The Munich Security Conference 2025 underscores a world in flux. As Europe navigates an uncertain security environment, leaders are reassessing alliances and exploring new strategies to safeguard stability amid rising geopolitical tensions.
With Trump’s foreign policy shifts, Europe’s move toward strategic autonomy, and the rise of the Global South, the MSC 2025 is set to shape critical security discussions for the year ahead.
As the world transitions from Western-led dominance to a multipolar system, MSC 2025 signals a growing recalibration of global power dynamics—one that could define the international order for decades to come.
