Is trade an underrated security issue?
In Washington, DC, we asked former Deputy Prime Minister of Canada and current Economic Advisor to the President of Ukraine, @chrystia-freeland.bsky.social. Find out her answer as she takes on a “Fact or Fun” question at our recent Geoeconomics Roundtable.
How can 🇪🇺 and 🇺🇸 navigate today’s geoeconomic challenges?
At our Geoeconomics Roundtable in Washington, DC, views on balanced economic policymaking diverged. Tech regulation, AI, and China drove a debate that was at times heated—but necessary to sustain transatlantic dialogue.
As #US tariffs rattle transatlantic economic relations, we’re back in Washington, DC!
The gathering of our family & friends at the MSC DC office was followed by our Geoeconomics Roundtable, which brought together leaders from politics, industry, and academia.
„Ein Amerika ohne Europa wäre nicht mehr die Weltmacht, die es eigentlich sein möchte.“ – Wolfgang Ischinger im SZ-Podcast „Auf den Punkt“ über das bröckelnde Verhältnis zwischen der EU und den USA unter Trump.
Zum Gespräch 👇
In the first episode of our podcast, “The Art of Diplomacy,” @florencegaub.bsky.social talks to Rafael Grossi about how to master nuclear diplomacy, the solitude of his job, fatherhood, and why his career might have gone in a very different direction.
🎧 securityconference.org/en/media/pod...
🔜 MSC goes DC!
In 1️⃣ week, participants will gather in Washington, DC for our Geoeconomics Roundtable to discuss ways for Europe & the US to resolve trade disputes and advance economic cooperation in response to geoeconomic challenges posed by China.
Stay tuned!
💡 Want to re-read our #MSCreport 2026? Then check out our website. ⬇️
🌷 Spring's here & with it our Munich Security Report-inspired reading list!
📖 #MSC2026 may be a few weeks behind us, but the debates continue. For a deeper dive into the topics that shaped this year’s agenda, we’ve put together eight books full of food for thought. 👇
"Western leaders now speak in the same 'transactional' terms that they once criticized the Global South for using."—Sophie Eisentraut in @projectsyndicate.bsky.social on how this newfound frankness often serves to justify inconsistencies and dismiss efforts for more coherent global rules. ⬇️
🔀 When food insecurity, political violence & climate risks intersect, they create serious security challenges.
Our case spotlights show different regional contexts where this intersection unfolds.
🤔 Feeling the post-MSC blues? We have the answer.
The final episode of our podcast with @foreignpolicy.com takes you back to the recent #MSC2026 and the 🐘🐘 that were addressed during the weekend.
Tune in now 🎧
#FoodSecurity is more than an isolated policy goal. It is security. Investments in resilient agrifood systems are not charity, but a strategic imperative for a more stable, equitable, and peaceful world.
Read the full Joint Statement ⬇️
💪 Robust, diversified & resilient agrifood systems should be seen as key elements of effective deterrence & defense in a hybrid threat landscape.
Countries should invest in strengthening the cyber and biosecurity of their food systems, as part of critical infrastructure.
🪙 There is a strong business case for investing in resilient agrifood systems and linked sectors.
The costs for ad hoc emergency aid, health care, and the military to deal with the spillover-effects of hunger are much higher than those of transforming agrifood systems.
⚔️ Food insecurity is being used as a weapon of war and a geopolitical lever.
Food production, infrastructure, supply chains, and humanitarian access are systematically targeted, fueling humanitarian crises and revealing strategic vulnerabilities.
Conflict remains the primary driver of acute food insecurity. In turn, unreliable access to food increases political instability.
👉 Therefore, investments in food security at home and abroad are investments in national security.
Food security is foundational to human dignity, economic development & geopolitical stability—but it's increasingly at risk worldwide.
The destabilizing effects of food insecurity are of strategic relevance as central drivers of instability, conflict, displacement & inequality.
At #MSC2026, German and Norwegian government officials, military, humanitarian, scientific, and private‑sector representatives signed a Joint Statement concluding our #FoodSecurity Task Force. It reflects two years of dialogue and progress.
Here are the key takeaways 🧵
Want to read more reflections on that pivotal 2007 speech from a current-day perspective?
Check out "Selected Key Speeches, Vol. III", available for free download on our website (8/8) ⬇️
Eka Tkeshelashvili reflects on Putin's doctrine of the use of force: "Conceived in Munich, rehearsed in Georgia, perfected in Ukraine, it redefined the parameters of conflict in Europe and destroyed the post-Cold War security architecture." (7/8)
Europe's mistake, according to Pavlo Klimkin, was "engaging Russia based on a 'win-win' approach." But "the Russian approach to security has always been about a zero sum game—it defines Russia’s mentality on international relations altogether." (6/8)
Celeste Wallander is equally straightforward: "There is little mystery in Putin’s vision. He has told us that he is in full conflict with the values, interests, and priorities of the transatlantic community." (5/8)
Alexander Graf Lambsdorff's assessment is clear: "Western structures as a whole failed to react to the Munich speech and its aftermath. In hindsight, it was a warning of what was to come." (4/8)
🖋️ According to Ivan Krastev, Putin used his speech to write a new historical narrative:
"To rectify a historical injustice, Putin decided to erase Ukrainian national identity and fold the country into an expanded Russian civilization. This was the end of Europe’s peace." (3/8)
Garry Kasparov is convinced: "Dictators, and Putin is no exception, tell us exactly what they plan to do, if we just pay attention." (2/8)
"The warning signs were present, the rhetoric was consistent, and the shift in Moscow’s worldview was articulated long before it was manifested in action."—Benedikt Franke & Nardine Luca on the legacy of Putin's 2007 speech.
Here are more reflections from today's perspective 🧵
Deutsch-Polnisches Engagement zur Ukraine-Verteidigung wäre eine politisch & symbolisch wichtige Botschaft.
Unser Vorsitzender Wolfgang Ischinger und der ehemalige polnische Botschafter Janusz Reiter schreiben in The Pioneer über Europas Friedenssicherung.
Dean of PSIA Sciences Po, @aranchagonzalez.bsky.social, at the #MSC2026 Kick-off Townhall on what Europe needs to strengthen its security.
🎧 New episode alert!
Ep. 6 of "Munich Moments" is here. Recorded live at #MSC2026, @foreignpolicy.com Editor-in-Chief @ravireports.bsky.social and US Under Secretary of War for Policy Elbridge Colby dive into the future of US foreign strategy, with a spotlight on the Indo-Pacific.
Tune in now ⬇️
