Great power competition is being played out in three regions: Europe, the Middle East, and East Asia. With hot wars in two and one looming in the third, the constellation has consequences for Europe.

Power politics, fear of war, world trade, and booming economies: The Indo-Pacific is increasingly becoming a global powerhouse. The strategic constellation of the greater region is conflict-laden—and a major challenge for Europe.

The world is turning polycentric and pluralistic, with competing ideas about order. Re-establishing the principle of universalism without interference, the basis of the 1975 Helsinki Accords, offers a way forward. 

The European Union needs to reposition itself in an international order that is shaking the foundations of its own values.