At the 62nd Munich Security Conference in Munich, 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.