Munich Security Conference: Can Europe defend itself without the US?
February 12, 2026
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Quick Take
Ian Bremmer, political scientist and president of Eurasia Group and GZERO Media, shares insights on global political events.
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At the Munich Security Conference, the mood is clear: Europe no longer assumes the United States will lead.
Ian Bremmer reports from Munich, where this year’s theme, “Under Destruction,” reflects growing anxiety that the US itself is destabilizing the transatlantic alliance it once anchored.
While European leaders talk openly about autonomy and de-risking from America economically and technologically, the security reality is starkly different. The United States remains overwhelmingly dominant militarily, and Europe lacks both the unity and fiscal capacity to respond independently.
As Ian puts it:
“Recognition doesn’t mean you can respond to it.”
Europe understands the G-Zero world is here. The question is whether it can act like a geopolitical power, or whether it remains constrained by fragmentation and dependence.
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