Are we in an era of "wrecking ball politics?"

At the 62nd Munich Security Conference, GZERO’s Tony Maciulis spoke with Benedikt Franke, Vice Chairman and CEO of the Munich Security Conference, to discuss whether the post-1945 global order is under strain or already unraveling.

Reflecting on last year’s headline-making speech by Vice President JD Vance, Franke said it “freaked Europeans into cohesion,” accelerating calls for greater European independence and resilience. But while NATO spending is rising, he cautioned that trust, not just tanks and budgets, is what ultimately sustains alliances.

The conversation also explored MSC’s latest report, "Under Destruction," which examines mounting pessimism across G7 democracies, rising inequality, and what Franke called an era of “wrecking ball politics," where institutions are torn down without clear plans to rebuild them. From Ukraine’s future and NATO cohesion to the role of the Global South and the risks of populism, Franke argued that reform is urgently needed. But he also notes that disruption without vision could deepen instability.

As US leaders, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and California Governor Gavin Newsom, gather in Munich, the stakes are clear: rebuilding trust, redefining multilateralism, and answering a fundamental question: What does a better global order actually look like?

This conversation is presented by GZERO from the 2026 Munich Security Conference. The Global Stage series convenes global leaders for critical conversations on the geopolitical forces reshaping our world.