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The European Union is founded on the idea that states cooperate peacefully across borders on a lasting basis, guided by established rules, and establish common institutions that fairly balance the diverse interests of these states. Progressive actors interpret this as a commitment to the equitable distribution of wealth and a sustainable economy that safeguards the ecosystems on which economic activity depends.

The signing of the Charter of Paris in November 1990 sealed the end of the East-West conflict and heralded a »new era of democracy, peace, and unity« in Europe. Contemporary observers such as the U.S. political scientist Francis Fukuyama interpreted this development as the »end of history« and assumed that liberal principles such as democracy and the market economy would soon prevail worldwide as the dominant model of social order. We find ourselves in a period of upheaval characterized by increasing uncertainty and an erosion of shared rules.

The latest geopolitical upheavals – from the attacks by the U.S. and Israel against Iran, to the abduction of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, to the war crimes committed by Israel in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank – have reignited a fundamental debate: What is the value of international law if the most powerful actors on the world stage ignore it?

The renegotiation of standards of justice cannot proceed without a return to standards of equality. A reference to socialist theory illustrates how we can clarify what is being negotiated and how justice and equality will measure up to future challenges.

To this very day, debates about the dangerousness of cities have had powerful political undertones. For ages, as the tales of Babylon, Sodom, and Troy suggest, cities have been depicted (exaggeratedly) as places of moral decline, sin, or violence.

The military strikes against Venezuela of January 3, which – in contravention of international law-targeted President Nicolás Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores for abduction, have quickly vanished from the radar screens of public debate. Yet this violent intervention leaves little doubt that the second Trump Administration has ratcheted up the intensity level of its imperialist policy in the Western Hemisphere. Let it be noted that the Venezuela raid has been accompanied or closely followed by threats against Mexico, Canada, Colombia, and Greenland.

What will become of Gaza? Where is the Palestinian conflict headed in the wake of Donald Trump’s »peace plans?« »It’s better to avoid prophecies, especially ones about the future.« We have heard such advice many times regarding the political prospects in the Middle East. And these days there is reason to be cautious. Given that the cease-fire is barely holding, that there are numerous »spoilers« around (also known as saboteurs), and that the American president is subject to mood swings, predictions must be taken with a grain of salt. Usually, they come either from wishful thinking or conceivable scenarios of failure.

Autocrats no longer have to fear sanctions when they violate fundamental liberal values. On the contrary, the Trump administration openly backs illiberal forces in Western democracies and happily cooperates with authoritarian rulers. The turn away from economic integration signifies that the central assumption of the democratic peace – that more cooperation makes conflicts among countries less likely – has been abandoned. China would like to revise the hierarchy of human rights: Liberal political rights should play second fiddle to economic and social rights. Thus, the heaven of liberal values lies in ruins.