BERLIN — The security order that has bound together the West and much of the rest of the world since the end of World War II is under attack from President Donald Trump and like-minded leaders, officials of the Munich Security Conference warned Monday in remarkably blunt terms. The world has entered an era of “wrecking ball politics,” a team of conference staff wrote Monday, in their 2026 Munich Security Report. The conference is a highly watched annual gathering of security officials from Europe, the U.S. and beyond, and was roiled last year by a castigating speech from Vice President JD Vance, who called on European leaders to cooperate with parties they have deemed extreme. The report summarizes those concerns, which have been repeatedly voiced by European officials in recent months, in terms that are more strident and detailed than many European leaders have typically dared to express. It calls Trump and similar leaders, including Argentine President Javier Milei, the beneficiaries of those trends.

Source: International New York Times February 10, 2026 10:23 UTC