The rules-based international order is under severe strain. Great-power rivalry is intensifying, multilateral institutions are weakening, and the United States can no longer be relied upon. The EU cannot hold that order together alone—yet it has more to lose than most if it unravels, from the trade rules its economy depends on to the norms that give Europe influence beyond its weight. Does the answer lie in renewed partnerships among middle powers?

Three such countries—India, Brazil, and Turkey—are seeking greater influence on the world stage. But as these countries understand democracy, multilateralism, and the international order on their own terms, can Europe work to build coalitions around shared rules and interests rather than trying to recruit them into a Western-led order? What compromises would that require, and what opportunities would it open?

To explore these questions, Carnegie Europe invites you to a public discussion with Senem Aydın-Düzgit, director of the Istanbul Policy Center, Happymon Jacob, founder and director of the Council for Strategic and Defense Research in New Delhi, and Felipe Krause, course director for the Latin American Centre at the Oxford School of Global and Area Studies. The discussion will be moderated by Dimitar Bechev, senior fellow at Carnegie Europe.

This event is held in partnership with the Dahrendorf Programme at St Antony’s College, University of Oxford, as part of their Europe in a Changing World project and supported by the Stiftung Mercator.