EUROPE'S 2026 DILEMMA: REALPOLITIK OR WILSONIANISM AS THE WAR IN UKRAINE ENTERS ON ITS FIFTH YEAR
EUROPE'S 2026 DILEMMA: REALPOLITIK OR WILSONIANISM AS THE WAR IN UKRAINE ENTERS ON ITS FIFTH YEAR

Author(s): Levente SUCIU
Subject(s): Security and defense, Military Sciences
Published by: Carol I National Defence University Publishing House
Keywords: Ukraine war; security dilemma; Realpolitik; Wilsonian idealism; security architecture; European cohesion.
Summary/Abstract: By February 24, 2026, the war in Ukraine will enter on its fifth year, as major powers have yet to establish a peace framework acceptable to the belligerent parties. Current security dilemmas center on the reconfiguration of spheres of influence and the impact of potential concessions on the new global security architecture. The convergence of great power interests on the European continent has reignited in certain states the need for self-reliant security, new alliances, and demands for economic compensation to meet societal needs. At the same time, nationalist and sovereigntist movements are forcing a redefinition of national identity within existing political and military alliances. In this context, the foundations of Wilsonian idealism based on self-determination and the expansion of democratic alliances are being undermined by the Realpolitik practiced by Russia and China. Consequently, Europe faces an existential dilemma, where the unity and cohesion of the European Union are strained by the prolonged economic and social effects of the Ukrainian conflict.

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