Through the combined perspectives of Sébastien Boussois, doctor of political science and geopolitics specialist, Sven Biscop, director of the Egmont Royal Institute, and President Georges-Louis Bouchez, this conference, moderated by Corentin de Salle, scientific director of the Centre Jean Gol, showed that we have entered a world that has become brutal and multipolar once again, where imperial logics, spheres of influence and competition between great powers once again shape the course of events. The central question: can Europe still defend its sovereignty and interests, or is it doomed to comment on the history others are writing in its place?
In his role as moderator, Corentin de Salle recalled that “the world order has shattered” and structured the discussion around questions such as “how did we get here?”, the impact of wars on Europe, the ability to “compete with the great powers” and how “Europe must reposition itself on the global chessboard”.
For Sébastien Boussois, doctor of political science and geopolitics specialist, “we have gone from united nations to globally disunited nations”, in an international system born in 1945 that he considers to be “in full mutation” and largely “outdated”. He describes a world where states are no longer alone on stage (large corporations, GAFAM, terrorist organisations and “virtual states” make the game more complex) and where we are witnessing a genuine “de-Westernisation of the world”, driven by the rise of the BRICS countries and the Global South. Donald Trump's return to the White House is not the origin of this upheaval, but an accelerator of a deeper movement: “Donald Trump's return did not initiate this process [...] Putin does the same thing, China is doing the same thing today, as is Iran, exactly the same thing.”
Sven Biscop, director of the Egmont Royal Institute, offered his own diagnosis of the evolution of the transatlantic relationship: “The United States is becoming, in its foreign policy, a normal country. And unfortunately, that is bad news.” Accustomed to a “special relationship” with Washington, Europe is discovering that its long-standing ally no longer hesitates to impose “illegal” tariffs, “claim” Greenland or support “European patriotic parties”, “what we call fascists, far-right racists”. For him, the mistake would be to respond with flight or submission: instead, Europe must “draw red lines with dignity” and accept taking “its destiny into its own hands” by ceasing to behave like an “Atlantic protectorate”.
Georges-Louis Bouchez, President of the Mouvement Réformateur and of the Centre Jean Gol, placed this shift in a broader perspective: “Trump is a symptom, an accelerator, an amplifier”, not the cause of the American disengagement. For more than 15 years, the United States has regarded China as its true “challenger” and has reoriented its entire strategy accordingly. Faced with these two empires, he believes Europe is living in a situation of widespread dependence: “We need the United States for our defence, Arab countries and Russia for our energy, and China for our industry.” Regaining sovereignty, he argues, means speaking the language of reality, particularly on energy matters.
Between an unflinching diagnosis and notes of hope, the conference outlined the contours of a historic choice: accept marginalisation or become once again a power capable of defending its democratic model, its standard of living and its freedom of decision.
To take this reflection further and hear the full discussion between Sébastien Boussois, Sven Biscop and Georges-Louis Bouchez, we invite you to watch the entire conference on our channels.