very February in Munich, the Munich Security Conference (MSC) gathers heads of state, government ministers and officials, and leaders from academia, civil society, and the private sector. This year’s gathering, taking place February 13–15, will focus on topics such as European security, regional conflict, competing visions for a future global order, the securitization of technology, and the future of the transatlantic relationship. Aside from the MSC main program, there will be over 200 side events focused on reimagining/reforming multilateral institutions, reimagining nuclear deterrence, evolving development finance, and climate security.
Context
The first major global summit to be held after this year’s dramatic World Economic Forum (WEF), attendees will be confronted with a sense of cognitive dissonance. MSC’s motto is to “build peace through dialogue,” but it convenes just days after publication of the Munich Security Report—which unofficially serves as a guide for debates at MSC. This year’s report is titled “Under Destruction” to reflect, according to MSC CEO Benedikt Frank on a LinkedIn post, “a period of wrecking-ball politics where sweeping destruction—rather than careful reforms and policy corrections—is the order of the day.” Attendees will need to grapple with questions on how to build peace in changing geopolitical contexts and what place institutions facing potential destruction will still have.
What’s on the agenda
Heading into MSC, here’s what to expect:
Emerging strategic autonomy and shifting alliances. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will be in Munich along with over 50 members of the U.S. Congress. But the tone of U.S. engagement is uncertain, given the adversarial postures taken by U.S. Vice President JD Vance at MSC last year, and by President Trump at WEF just last month. Meanwhile, talk of “middle power” autonomy has sharply spiked, particularly in Europe post–WEF. This has meant momentum toward European securitization, but has also prompted long–standing U.S. allies to engage more independently with China—such as German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s scheduled meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi at MSC.
Main stage tension meets side event productivity? One key question raised by the Munich Security Report is whether it’s too late to save the order we’ve become used to and, if so, what’s next? This seems likely to express itself in differentiating themes on the main stage—featuring debates and speeches by world leaders and deeply influenced by what’s happened in 2026—versus side events, which engage with more enduring themes as compared to recent, acute disruptions. One thing to watch here is whether all the attention we are paying to the main stage will make side events less, or more, productive.
Whither the “forgotten crises?” Among the suggested themes MSC listed for side events to this year’s convening was: Addressing forgotten crises, particularly in the so-called “Global South.” While the focus of MSC is primarily on Europe and transatlantic relations, last year published a paper exploring the importance of European–Global South engagement to European security. To all appearances, engagement with issues affecting the Global South were going to be in the spotlight in Munich this year, but given the acute political disruptions we see along the transatlantic–China–Russia nexuses, will these issues be relegated to the sidelines?
Regional disputes could drive conversations. The German Council on Foreign Relations suggested that regional security challenges in Ukraine, the Middle East, and the Arctic will likely inform the direction of conversations in Munich. The conference organizers are apparently prepared for this, with Reuters reporting that Palestinian and Israeli officials will be in attendance, as will (virtually) Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado. The Arctic is a recent and potentially critical addition to regional security challenges, as melting ice means new, undiscovered shipping lanes and access to resources.
What they’re saying
At the moment, transatlantic relations are, in my view, in a considerable crisis of trust and credibility. That is why it is particularly gratifying that the American side is showing such strong interest in Munich. — Wolfgang Ischinger, former chair of the Munich Security Conference.
I don’t see a world under destruction… [The U.S. is] not trying to dismantle NATO…All President Trump is trying to do is instead of the United States taxpayers … bearing the burden of the security of Europe, we have tried to balance that out. — U.S. Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker, in response to the wording of the Munich Security Report.
For too long, we have in Europe been dependent on a combination of cheap energy from Russia, cheap goods from China and cheap security from the United States. That model doesn't work any longer. We have to reduce our dependency on external partners. — Anders Fogh Rasmussen, former PM of Denmark and former head of NATO.
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In Munich, MSC attendees consider future of “wrecking-ball” politics
Image via Unsplash+
February 13, 2026
There is a palpable tension as this year’s Munich Security Conference convenes, illustrated by this year’s theme: “Under Destruction.” With institutions and alliances under strain, this year’s main stage will be focused on European securitization, the transatlantic alliance, and regional conflict.
E
very February in Munich, the Munich Security Conference (MSC) gathers heads of state, government ministers and officials, and leaders from academia, civil society, and the private sector. This year’s gathering, taking place February 13–15, will focus on topics such as European security, regional conflict, competing visions for a future global order, the securitization of technology, and the future of the transatlantic relationship. Aside from the MSC main program, there will be over 200 side events focused on reimagining/reforming multilateral institutions, reimagining nuclear deterrence, evolving development finance, and climate security.
Context
The first major global summit to be held after this year’s dramatic World Economic Forum (WEF), attendees will be confronted with a sense of cognitive dissonance. MSC’s motto is to “build peace through dialogue,” but it convenes just days after publication of the Munich Security Report—which unofficially serves as a guide for debates at MSC. This year’s report is titled “Under Destruction” to reflect, according to MSC CEO Benedikt Frank on a LinkedIn post, “a period of wrecking-ball politics where sweeping destruction—rather than careful reforms and policy corrections—is the order of the day.” Attendees will need to grapple with questions on how to build peace in changing geopolitical contexts and what place institutions facing potential destruction will still have.
What’s on the agenda
Heading into MSC, here’s what to expect:
Emerging strategic autonomy and shifting alliances. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will be in Munich along with over 50 members of the U.S. Congress. But the tone of U.S. engagement is uncertain, given the adversarial postures taken by U.S. Vice President JD Vance at MSC last year, and by President Trump at WEF just last month. Meanwhile, talk of “middle power” autonomy has sharply spiked, particularly in Europe post–WEF. This has meant momentum toward European securitization, but has also prompted long–standing U.S. allies to engage more independently with China—such as German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s scheduled meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi at MSC.
Main stage tension meets side event productivity? One key question raised by the Munich Security Report is whether it’s too late to save the order we’ve become used to and, if so, what’s next? This seems likely to express itself in differentiating themes on the main stage—featuring debates and speeches by world leaders and deeply influenced by what’s happened in 2026—versus side events, which engage with more enduring themes as compared to recent, acute disruptions. One thing to watch here is whether all the attention we are paying to the main stage will make side events less, or more, productive.
Whither the “forgotten crises?” Among the suggested themes MSC listed for side events to this year’s convening was: Addressing forgotten crises, particularly in the so-called “Global South.” While the focus of MSC is primarily on Europe and transatlantic relations, last year published a paper exploring the importance of European–Global South engagement to European security. To all appearances, engagement with issues affecting the Global South were going to be in the spotlight in Munich this year, but given the acute political disruptions we see along the transatlantic–China–Russia nexuses, will these issues be relegated to the sidelines?
Regional disputes could drive conversations. The German Council on Foreign Relations suggested that regional security challenges in Ukraine, the Middle East, and the Arctic will likely inform the direction of conversations in Munich. The conference organizers are apparently prepared for this, with Reuters reporting that Palestinian and Israeli officials will be in attendance, as will (virtually) Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado. The Arctic is a recent and potentially critical addition to regional security challenges, as melting ice means new, undiscovered shipping lanes and access to resources.
What they’re saying
At the moment, transatlantic relations are, in my view, in a considerable crisis of trust and credibility. That is why it is particularly gratifying that the American side is showing such strong interest in Munich. — Wolfgang Ischinger, former chair of the Munich Security Conference.
I don’t see a world under destruction… [The U.S. is] not trying to dismantle NATO…All President Trump is trying to do is instead of the United States taxpayers … bearing the burden of the security of Europe, we have tried to balance that out. — U.S. Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker, in response to the wording of the Munich Security Report.
For too long, we have in Europe been dependent on a combination of cheap energy from Russia, cheap goods from China and cheap security from the United States. That model doesn't work any longer. We have to reduce our dependency on external partners. — Anders Fogh Rasmussen, former PM of Denmark and former head of NATO.
