Munich – The world has entered a dangerous era of “wrecking-ball politics” that prioritizes the dismantling of institutions over gradual reform, a report from the Munich Security Conference suggests before its annual meeting this week.
The MSC will bring together about 65 world leaders, along with nearly 100 foreign and defence ministers, top military brass and high-level policymakers for three days of discussions starting on Friday.
Among the most prominent guests expected in Munich is US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is also set to take part. Friedrich Merz will make his debut at the conference as German chancellor.
This year’s gathering will focus on the breakdown of diplomatic norms and decades-old alliances.
The 2026 Munich Security Report, released on Monday and which sets out the conference themes, places much of the blame on US President Donald Trump, who is described as taking “the axe to existing rules” and engaging in “bulldozer politics.”
But Trump is only the most powerful manifestation of a wider phenomenon seen across multiple countries.
“In many Western societies, political forces favouring destruction over reform are gaining momentum,” a team of experts behind the report titled “Under Destruction” write.
Establishment decision-makers are increasingly viewed not as leaders, but as “guardians of the status quo” and administrators of a paralysed political system that no longer responds to the needs of the majority.
The report says countries still committed to a rules-based order are beginning to organize and pursue approaches that do not depend on Washington. It warns that those who remain bystanders risk ending up “at the mercy of great power politics.”
To avoid that, governments will need to “step up” by investing more in their own capabilities and cooperating more closely, while also showing voters that meaningful reforms can deliver better results than “a policy of widespread destruction.”
