Hans Kribbe, a former senior policy adviser to the European Commission, argues that Europe must move beyond nostalgia for the post 1945 liberal order and rediscover the “Westphalian” foundations of international law after the war against Iran exposed the fragility of today’s rules-based system. Kribbe reckons America has abandoned legal constraints and embraced raw power politics, leaving Europe strategically disoriented and economically vulnerable. Reviving a minimalist rules-based order rooted in sovereignty, non-interference and balance of power is presented as a more realistic path in an emerging multipolar world. Kribbe concludes that Europe must draw clearer lines with Washington and lead a renewal of international rules suited to a post liberal era.
randommathaccount on
> a reaffirmation of minimalist neo-Westphalian principles of order
I mean my main question is what is the response of this neo-westphalian order to wars of aggression like Russia’s invasion of Ukraine? Because if it’s just denunciations with no firm action behind it that kinda just sounds like the same might makes right political order we’re seeking to avoid.
TF_dia on
> Ironically, the leader who appreciates the importance of Westphalian norms best is the Pope. Not only does he squarely condemn America’s war against Iran but also, and specifically, its continued invocation of divine providence. ‘God does not bless any conflict,’ Leo XIV reminded his US followers. Propagating the will of God through bombs, he knows, produces conflict that is total and uncontainable. ‘The Church does not want any more crusades,’ a close Vatican observer explained.
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Hans Kribbe, a former senior policy adviser to the European Commission, argues that Europe must move beyond nostalgia for the post 1945 liberal order and rediscover the “Westphalian” foundations of international law after the war against Iran exposed the fragility of today’s rules-based system. Kribbe reckons America has abandoned legal constraints and embraced raw power politics, leaving Europe strategically disoriented and economically vulnerable. Reviving a minimalist rules-based order rooted in sovereignty, non-interference and balance of power is presented as a more realistic path in an emerging multipolar world. Kribbe concludes that Europe must draw clearer lines with Washington and lead a renewal of international rules suited to a post liberal era.
> a reaffirmation of minimalist neo-Westphalian principles of order
I mean my main question is what is the response of this neo-westphalian order to wars of aggression like Russia’s invasion of Ukraine? Because if it’s just denunciations with no firm action behind it that kinda just sounds like the same might makes right political order we’re seeking to avoid.
> Ironically, the leader who appreciates the importance of Westphalian norms best is the Pope. Not only does he squarely condemn America’s war against Iran but also, and specifically, its continued invocation of divine providence. ‘God does not bless any conflict,’ Leo XIV reminded his US followers. Propagating the will of God through bombs, he knows, produces conflict that is total and uncontainable. ‘The Church does not want any more crusades,’ a close Vatican observer explained.
I’ve heard enough, Pope Leo XIV 2028.