The world’s democracies are in a competition of systems, above all with China. But global challenges like climate change and arms control require cooperation. The latest Munich Security Report seeks to find the balance.
The release of the latest Munich Security Report comes at an opportune moment. Opportune because US President Joe Biden is coming to Europe on his first foreign trip: He is set to attend the G7 summit in England, and then a NATO summit in Brussels where the leaders of the most world’s most powerful military alliance will gather, followed by a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Geneva.
Against this backdrop of transatlantic diplomacy comes the Munich Security Conference‘s latest security report, «Between States of Matter — Competition and Cooperation.»
The title describes the central dilemma of the 160-page report: Western democracies are being challenged, particularly by China. At the same time, the two sides need each other, not only as business partners, but also to confront major global challenges.