Out with the old, in with the new world order

Battle of Ideas festival 2026 takes place on Saturday 17 & Sunday 18 October at Church House, Westminster. View the full programme here. Early-bird tickets are available until 17 September here.

This debate was recorded at Battle of Ideas festival 2025 on Sunday 19 October.

ORIGINAL INTRODUCTION

The process of globalisation was supposed to make the world a more uniform place. But that prospect seems to have evaporated. In the wake of wars, economic conflict and diverging national interests, long-ignored trends seem to be pushing the world apart, not together.

For a long time, Western political leaders have sought to downplay, if not outright deny, this swing to a multipolar global structure. However, hit by one shock after another, this mask of complacency has been falling away: the 2008 financial crash, the Eurozone debt crisis, the Brexit vote, the first election of Trump, the pandemic shutdowns, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and now the return of a second, and more geopolitically disruptive, Trump presidency.

In particular, the European Union countries have now been forced to face up to the anachronism of a united ‘Western alliance’. Their political leaders can no longer hide from their countries’ own vulnerability in a fractious world, unable to rely upon the protection of a US military umbrella. Trump’s demands for increased defence spending by other NATO countries and Europe’s inability to support Ukraine independently of America have exposed Europe’s weakness.

Meanwhile, Trump’s tariffs against China have heightened tensions and exposed American weaknesses for crucial materials like rare earths, which China has a virtual monopoly over and are essential in many modern applications, from smartphones to advance weapons.

How far might America go in pursuing its new-found national interest, and what are the possible implications? How are Britain and other European countries responding? Can we still talk about a united Europe in any meaningful way? And, perhaps most important of all, is there a way to avoid US-China tensions escalating into armed conflict?

SPEAKERSThomas Fazijournalist and writer; author, Reclaiming the State: A progressive vision of sovereignty for a post-neoliberal world; columnist, UnHerd; contributing editor, Compact

William C. Hicksco-chair, Life Sciences Practice Group, Mintz

Anne-Elisabeth Moutetcolumnist and commentator for Telegraph, UnHerd, GB News, BFMTV (Paris)

Phil Mullanwriter, lecturer and business manager; author, Beyond C