Europe has strong potential to become one of the key global players in today’s multipolar world, former Latvian President Egils Levits said on Monday at the presentation of the Latvian Institute of International Affairs’ (LIIA) annual Latvian Foreign and Security Policy Yearbook.
Levits noted that the previous rules-based international order has ceased to function and that the world is currently in a relatively short transformation period toward a multipolar system. “The question is whether Europe will become one of these global power poles […] or whether Europe will dissolve,” Levits said.
He stressed that Europe must become one of the world’s power centers and argued that there are currently signs this could happen. However, he emphasized that this would require fairly radical changes to Europe’s foreign policy.
According to Levits, the current debate must focus on the resilience of democracy in an increasingly brutal world — namely, whether democracy has structural weaknesses when facing aggressive, authoritarian regimes. He argued that these structural problems can be overcome if there is sufficient political will and proper analysis.
Levits also pointed out that Europe is not directly involved, for example, in peace talks on Ukraine
or in addressing the situation in Venezuela, instead largely remaining in the role of a spectator. This role must be transformed into that of an active player so that Europe can pursue and defend its own interests, he said.
University of Latvia professor Inna Šteinbuka noted that Europe is currently living amid profound uncertainty, including in the economic sphere. She said that nearly every statement by U.S. President Donald Trump triggers instability in financial markets, which “could end badly.”
Šteinbuka emphasized that Europe’s economy significantly lags behind both the United States and China, particularly in terms of technological progress and competitiveness. Economic growth is weak, and the energy sector also needs to be developed differently in light of the new geopolitical reality, she argued.
Jānis Sārts, director of NATO’s Strategic Communications Centre of Excellence, said
the world is not collapsing but is changing very rapidly.
In these circumstances, he stressed, wishful thinking must be abandoned in favor of seeing reality as it is. According to Sārts, military power, technological innovation, and economic performance are critically important under current conditions.
He also emphasized that the starting point should not be abstract thinking about Europe, but rather focusing on national responsibility. “The defense of Latvia is Latvia’s fundamental responsibility,” Sārts said.
At the same time, he underlined the need to work toward maintaining European unity and ensuring that the transatlantic relationship continues to function effectively.
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