Von der Leyen Declares the End of the West as We Know It and Announces a New World Order

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said last week that the West as we knew it no longer exists, and that Brussels must play a role in shaping a new world order.

Photo: EU Flag

The announcement of the end of entire eras has usually come from scientists, journalists, and revolutionaries. In recent decades, Francis Fukuyama proclaimed the “end of history,” Immanuel Wallerstein foresaw the end of the capitalist West’s dominance as a consequence of the collapse of the rival communist USSR, and now many are speaking of the “end of globalization” due to the policies of U.S. President Donald Trump.

Representatives of the European Union are not known for “strong” statements, aware of the complexity of the system they belong to and the fact that Brussels’ policy is constrained by bureaucracy and divisions among member states.

That is why Von der Leyen’s statement comes as a surprise and signals an awakening of Brussels, faced with the fact that the world is changing and that the United States, China, Russia, and other countries in Asia and Latin America will seize every opportunity that presents itself at any given moment.

Troubles in the West – Donald Trump

“The West as we knew it no longer exists,” Von der Leyen said in an interview with the German newspaper Die Zeit, referring to the policies of U.S. President Trump.

Von der Leyen said she had always been a “convinced Atlanticist” and a “great friend of the U.S.,” but that Trump’s policies are creating new circumstances. These are “historic changes” that are forcing the European Union to “play a very active role” in shaping the new world order.

Von der Leyen’s statement on the future of the European Union is one of several similar messages coming from the old continent directed at the United States, following Trump’s engagement in the war in Ukraine and his alignment with Kremlin positions.

“What we once considered a world order is now turning into world disorder, caused, among other things, by the struggle for dominance between China and the U.S., but also, of course, by Putin’s imperial ambitions,” she said. “That is why we need a new, different European Union, ready to step onto the global stage and actively participate in shaping the new world order to come,” she added.

The “world disorder” mentioned by Von der Leyen is an acknowledgment that the West is rapidly changing, and that Washington now views its allies and rivals differently. The new policy from Washington may even target its closest allies. The actions of U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Elon Musk are the best evidence of that.

The Trump administration has largely abandoned confronting rogue regimes. Now, Washington is at odds with the governments of the United Kingdom and Germany. Musk’s criticism of British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and his support for the German opposition AfD have shocked Europeans.

Real Limitations

Von der Leyen’s words reveal that she sees some policies of the United States and China as dangerous for Brussels. “The positive effect of all this is that I’m currently holding countless conversations with heads of state and government leaders around the world who want to cooperate with us on creating a new order,” she said, citing Canada, India, Malaysia, Indonesia, Mexico, and South American countries as examples.

Despite Trump’s aggressive trade policies, the European Union, she says, has maintained its strength and has become more attractive to other countries due to its predictability and reliability. In other words, Von der Leyen claims that the European Union has the power and resources to compete with the United States and China, which are engaged in economic warfare and global competition.

However, things are not as simple as Von der Leyen suggests. Trump’s policy toward Ukraine and Russian President Vladimir Putin shows the limits of European powers. Trump and Putin excluded Europeans from negotiations about a European war. French President Emmanuel Macron and Starmer are attempting in various ways to position European powers as players in Ukraine, aware that they lack a military force equivalent to that of the U.S. or Russia.

At the same time, the European Union struggles with access to various raw materials and depends on other countries. Brussels is now extending a hand of cooperation to regional powers, as Von der Leyen emphasized, likely offering predictability in contrast to Trump and equality in contrast to China.

Since the European Union has a strong economy and a large market, Brussels could decide the outcome of the economic war between Washington and Beijing. Macron has hinted at this in various settings—both in Beijing a few years ago and more recently in Washington. During his last visit to the White House, Macron told Trump that he should impose tariffs on China and work jointly with Europeans in Ukraine and elsewhere.

On the other hand, China seeks stronger economic ties globally and supports free trade. Such a system suits communist China, as no single country can match it. For comparison, China has nearly 800 million workers, while the EU and the U.S. together have fewer than 800 million people total.

Two weeks ago, Von der Leyen had a phone conversation with Chinese Premier Li Qiang, who wants the two sides to “maintain free and open trade.”

How to Get Brussels Moving?

Brussels can choose which side to align with, although today, almost no one in Europe says it should be China. Frustration with Washington over Trump’s tariffs is understandable, but it should not form the basis for any policy. Ultimately, Trump’s rule will not last forever.

However, the European Union needs mechanisms for action and must find ways to increase its influence, first in Europe and then globally. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan recently extended such an offer to Brussels, aware of Europe's limitations, particularly in the field of defense.

The EU’s intention to play the younger sibling to great powers has proven misguided. For example, reliance on the U.S. military has led to the stagnation of European armies. If the EU were to choose China’s offer of free trade with reduced U.S. influence, it could quickly find itself in the kind of economic situation the U.S. is currently in.

Europe needs different politicians and new ideas. The European Union under Ursula von der Leyen cannot boast that it has shown much of this in recent years, with little success in that area to claim. But for a slow and bureaucratized Brussels, Von der Leyen’s statements last week sound like a giant step in that direction.

This article was originally published on nap.ba.

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