New cold war, return of a thought of spheres of influence that seemed to have been overcome – Putin’s invasion of Ukraine and the ongoing turmoil in the Middle east will have fundamental consequences for the international order. European member states, whose societies could not imagine war in Europe, decide to invest significantly in their security architecture and to act unitedly – if sometimes not as quickly and co-ordinately as some would like – in Europe in the face of the Russian aggressor.

But how credible is the (supposedly) newly discovered and proclaimed unity of Europe in the reality of security and defence policy, which is often decried as hardly integrable? Does it really lead to lasting, long-term changes in the international order? What instruments beyond traditional power politics are used and relevant in today’s conflicts? And is the EU really transforming itself into an actor capable of independently defending itself, its values, and interests on the international stage? In short, what are the changes in global power shifts in international politics as a result of the war in Ukraine, amidst the ongoing volatile situation in the Middle East? These and other fundamental questions will be addressed during the event, which is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research as part of the IMPACT project and organized in partnership between Villa Vigoni and the Henry-Kissinger-Chair at the Academy of International Affairs NRW in Bonn.