Munich (Germany), 13 February (LaPresse) – The international order, based on rules and rights, is “on the brink of destruction”, as highlighted in the report of the Munich Security Conference. I fear we must say it clearly: that order, however imperfect in its best days, no longer exists as it once did' and has “changed more profoundly than we could have imagined”. This was stated by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in his opening speech at the 2026 Munich Security Conference. 'In recent years, there has been a palpable atmosphere of growing tension and conflict in the world. And at least since Russia's invasion of Ukraine four years ago, we have entered a new phase of open conflict that keeps us on constant alert and is changing our world more profoundly than we could have imagined. I fear we must say it clearly: that order, however imperfect in its best days, no longer exists as it once did,‘ Merz said. ’As Peter Sloterdijk recently wrote, Europe has ended a long “break from world history”. We have entered an era once again dominated by power politics. Russia's violent revisionism, its brutal attack on Ukraine, is only the most obvious manifestation of this phenomenon," Merz added.