An Order Broken, Bruised, or Bolstered? Key Takeaways From the Munich Security Conference 2026

The Munich Security Conference 2026 was shaped by competing tales about the state of the rules-based international order. In some accounts, the order is damaged or entirely broken; in others, it is being overhauled. But while interpretations differed, the responses converged around two types of urgent efforts: building better bulwarks in defense of cherished values and rules, especially on the European continent, and exploring new coalitions to fill at least some of the global governance gaps.