54th Munich Security Conference

[2] According to von der Leyen, Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO)[3] marks an important step towards a European Security and Defence Union.

[6] The key themes of the conference and the Munich Security Report 2018 included the crisis of the liberal international order[7] and the consequences from Donald Trump's first year as President of the United States.

[8] "Last year, the world moved too close to a major international conflict," MSC chairman Wolfgang Ischinger stated in the run-up to the conference.

"The rhetorical escalations of individual decision-makers are very worrying, whether on the Korean peninsula, in the Gulf or in Eastern Europe - if someone makes a wrong decision in charged situations, that could quickly set off a dangerous chain reaction," Ischinger warned.

[10] In addition, the threat of the liberal international order, the numerous conflicts in the Middle East - in particular the worsening relations between the Gulf States - and the development of the political situation in the Sahel were discussed.

[12][18] Other guests included UN Secretary-General António Guterres,[19] EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker[20] and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.

On the eve of the conference, MSC hosted a "Town Hall Meeting" entitled "The Force Awakens: Artificial Intelligence and Modern Conflict" at the Hotel Bayerischer Hof.

The American politician John McCain was awarded the Ewald von Kleist Prize for his services to the transatlantic relationship and the security conference.

"[40] Konstantin Kosachev, the chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Russian Senate, claimed that "NATO’s continued existence provokes new threats, rather than overcoming them.