Munich Security Report 2026 warns of "wrecking-ball politics" disrupting international order

Munich Security Conference Chairman Wolfgang Ischinger participates in the launch event of the Munich Security Report 2026 in Berlin, Germany, Feb. 9, 2026. (Xinhua/Li Chao)

The Munich Security Report 2026 warns that the world has entered an era of "wrecking-ball politics," marked by forces favoring sweeping disruption over reform and putting the post-1945 international order under strain, particularly amid a changing U.S. role.

BERLIN, Feb. 9 (Xinhua) -- The world has entered a period of "wrecking-ball politics," where sweeping destruction has become the order of the day, according to the Munich Security Report 2026 released here on Monday.

The report, titled "Under Destruction", aims to set the tone for the upcoming Munich Security Conference (MSC). The annual event is expected to gather nearly 50 heads of state and government, alongside hundreds of decision-makers and opinion leaders, later this week.

The current U.S. administration is seen as the most prominent actor promising to free itself from existing order constraints, which has placed the U.S.-led post-1945 international order now under destruction, according to the report.

In the report's foreword, MSC Chairman Wolfgang Ischinger noted that the attention the conference is attracting this year is not only a reflection of the many conflicts and crises that dominate the global agenda, but also a result of the changing role of the U.S. in the international system.

Organizers of Munich Security Conference display the Munich Security Report 2026 in Berlin, Germany, Feb. 9, 2026. (Xinhua/Li Chao)

The report observes that political forces favoring destruction over reform are gaining momentum across many Western societies, driven by disenchantment with the performance of democratic institutions and a loss of trust in political course corrections.

However, the report warns that it remains unclear whether such destruction will actually clear the ground for policies that increase security, prosperity and freedom. Instead, the world may see a shift toward transactional deals over principled cooperation, private interests over public good, and regional hegemons over universal norms.