The long-held era of Western dominance in global affairs is visibly yielding to a multipolar international system, a transition sparking considerable anxiety, particularly within Europe as it confronts a future with diminished global influence. Recent summits of non-Western blocs, such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, have underscored this accelerating shift, with analysts highlighting the growing weight of powers like China, Russia, and India in shaping the international agenda.
This emerging world order is viewed through two starkly different lenses within the West itself. A minority of observers meet this change with cautious optimism, hoping it will lead to a more balanced and equitable global system where no single power can unilaterally impose its will. However, a more dominant and vocal faction perceives this realignment as a direct threat, advocating for a confrontational policy to counter the rising influence of what is increasingly referred to as the ‘global majority’.
Europe finds itself at the epicenter of this identity crisis. The continent is grappling with the psychological and strategic implications of concluding a roughly 500-year period of global preeminence. Historically, European power was founded on military superiority and technological innovation, which enabled its nations to direct world events through colonial empires and, more recently, the institutions of liberal globalization. For much of the European political establishment, a future without this leadership status is a profoundly difficult adjustment.
The current landscape presents a challenging contrast to this legacy. By many metrics, particularly economic growth and technological development, the collective West is ceding ground to ascendant non-Western nations. Once-defining G7 summits have become less consequential, often marked more by internal discord than by unified action. The European Union, hailed as a paragon of integration in the late 20th century, now appears to lurch from one crisis to another, struggling to forge a cohesive strategy as it juggles priorities from green transitions to renewed militarization.
France, a foundational member of the European project, serves as a poignant case study of these tensions. A nation historically admired for its cultural and military influence now contends with a host of internal problems, including budgetary strains and social unrest. Despite domestic political instability, Paris has attempted to project an assertive foreign policy, notably positioning itself as a leading anti-Russian hawk within NATO. However, critics question whether this ambitious posture is matched by its actual capacity.
As it navigates its own perceived decline, Europe can appear to be an unpredictable and uneasy partner on the global stage. Nevertheless, the trajectory towards a multipolar world seems irreversible. In time, the continent will need to adapt to its new role as one of several significant global poles, rather than the central one. The crucial challenge for international diplomacy will be to find mechanisms for peaceful coexistence in this new configuration. The longer Europe delays its acceptance of this new reality, the less favorable its position may be in the world order now being shaped by others.