Motto: “A great tradition can be inherited, but greatness itself must be won.” Sir Winston Churchill
In a span of just 30 days, four major international events with the potential to shape the world took place. The first was the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on 19-23 January 2026. The Davos Forum is uniquely powerful because of its ability to gather the people who move the world in one space. This year, its theme was “A Spirit of Dialogue”, and the participation of the President of the United States, Donald J. Trump, created a global visibility, with over 3,000 attendees – including more than 60 heads of state and government, heads of nearly all major international organizations, and more than 1,000 CEOs from around the world. In a time when uncertainty has become the new normal, the Forum facilitated the making of history by creating the conditions for key-actors to exchange on some of the most consequential questions of our age.Davos 2026 probably foreshadowed global developments for the next decade (I wrote about this in the article “When the Tectonic Plates of Geopolitics Move”).
The second moment I am referring to is the informal retreat of the European Union leaders at Alden-Biesen Castle, Belgium, on 12 February 2026. The heads of state or government of the EU countries usually meet formally in the European Council format but, as debates on the EU’s future intensifies, the President of the European Council, António Costa, introduced informal “retreats” – meetings designed to let leaders brainstorm without the pressure of reaching conclusions. This year the focus was on how to deepen the single market, reduce economic dependencies and boost competitiveness. An important topic referred to the energy transition, considered as the best long-term strategy for Europe to achieve strategic autonomy. The “two‑speed Europe” proposal (aiming to advance reforms by bypassing the unanimity vote), and the so-called “European preference” (which would favor domestic companies in strategic sectors)were also tackled.
At the end of the meeting, António Costa summed up the political message: “We have a clear priority: to strengthen economic growth in Europe. This is essential for our prosperity, to create quality jobs, and to sustain our economic social model. We hold a powerful card: our single market. With 450 million consumers, it is Europe’s true superpower and we must use it to the fullest potential”. Participant in the retreat, the President of Romania, Nicușor Dan, remarked: “There was an agreement of all the participants, that we do not want a market that is protectionist in Europe. Instead, in response to certain non-competitive practices, Europe needs to respond very quickly to protect certain sectors of its economy… Europe with multiple speeds, or at least as the idea stands at the moment, is simply a meeting in which countries that have certain ideas coordinate in order to put together a proposal on the European Council’s table. There should be no concern here”.
The third major event was the Munich Security Conference, on 14-16 February – the most important annual summit in the field of security and defense, with more than 1,000 delegates – including 61 heads of state and government, and 101 foreign and defense ministers. As Ambasador Wolfgang Ischinger, the Chairman of the Conference and a legend of German diplomacy, noted: “Rarely in the conference’s recent history have there been so many fundamental questions on the table at the same time: about Europe’s security, the resilience of the transatlantic partnership, and the ability of the international community to manage an increasingly complex and contested world”.
Traditionally, before the conference starts, the Munich Security Report is published. This year the report has the title “Under Destruction”, and concludes: “Many people perceive their political systems and international institutions as incapable of addressing mounting global risks and of managing the challenges that come with economic transformations and technological change… Decision-makers are widely seen as guardians of the status quo, administering paralyzed political systems that appear unresponsive to the majority of people. Key institutions of the international order have come to be seen as rigid and unresponsive… Relying on sterile communiques, predictable conferences and cautious diplomacy is a recipe for failure”.
A similar perception is noticed with regard the trust in the rule of law. In an interview for the Romanian newspaper Adevărul, on 8 February 2026, Judge Matthias Guyomar, the President of the European Court of Human Rights – a fundamental institution of the Council of Europe – pointed out: “All judges, the entire judicial system, are currently facing a growing distrust or lack of trust from the people. And we need to address this situation. I am talking about the erosion of people’s adherence to the rule of law system. And this is really worrying. It is the same everywhere, not only in Europe. There is a general concern about how to convince people, how to offer an attractive and positive narrative to convince them that the functioning of the courts is not against democracy, against popular sovereignty. On the contrary, they function to support the daily life of society. They work to defend the concrete rights of people. And by doing this, the courts support democracy. Judges are part of the democratic system. These challenges require innovation; they require more transparency. We must also be prepared to communicate and explain our work. And in the end, our common ideals, peace and justice, will prevail”.
On 13 February, the Chancellor of Germany, Friedrich Merz, wrote in Foreign Affairs magazine: “The return to power politics cannot be explained solely by the rivalries among major powers. This new dynamic also reflects the turmoil and unrest within societies where new technologies are driving revolutionary change… We must realize that in this era of great-power politics, our freedom is no longer a given. Preserving it will take determination, and we must be ready for change, hard work, and even sacrifice… We must curb the proliferation of European bureaucracy and regulation. Europe’s standards must not immobilize us in global competition but should fuel innovation and entrepreneurship, encourage investment, and reward creativity” (“How to Avert the Tragedy of Great-Power Politics”). The Munich Security Conference confirmed that Europe is accelerating strategic adaptation to reduce vulnerabilities in an increasingly hectic environment. It also showed that the transatlantic partnership remains strong. Before leaving for Germany, the US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters: “The old world is gone and we are living in a new era in geopolitics, and that will require all of us to reconsider what that looks like and what our role is going to be”. Then, in Munich, he said: “We want Europe to be strong, as the two great wars of the last century serve as historical lessons, a constant reminder that, ultimately, our destiny is and will always be intertwined with yours”.
An event of global impact took place on 19 February 2026 – the first meeting of the Board of Peace. An initiative of the President of the United States and endorsed by the UN Security Council resolution 2803 (2025), to implement the US-led 20-point Gaza Peace Plan, the Board of Peace is a remarkable innovation in international affairs. Representatives from around 50 countries and the European Commission attended the inaugural meeting in Washington D.C., as members or observers. Addressing the participants, President Donald Trump announced that a total of 17 billion dollars has been pledged for relief and reconstruction in Gaza: “Every dollar spent is an investment in stability and hope. Together we can achieve the dream of bringing lasting harmony to a region tortured by centuries of war. With the commitments announced today, the Board of Peace is proving that it does not just convene countries, it devises and implements and real solutions happen… And we’re very closely working with the United Nations”. The World Bank will manage the donations and disburse them under the Board of Peace direction. Several countries made pledges to send troops for a Gaza stabilization force, while others committed to train police – the newly created international stabilization force is expected to have 12,000 police and 20,000 soldiers.
At the Board of Peace meeting, President Nicușor Dan reaffirmed Romania’s support to the peace process in Gaza: “I spoke today in Washington at the inaugural Board of Peace meeting chaired by the US President Donald Trump. Without peace and security, there can be no prosperity for our citizens. In this regard, Romania supports the efforts of the US and the international community to resolve global conflicts, including in the Middle East, and our presence as an observer in the Board of Peace allows us to be part of the talks and negotiations… I remain a strong supporter of transatlantic cooperation between the United States and the European Union based on a constant and open dialogue. This balanced approach is the one that brings the most benefits to our country, for which freedom, democracy and the rule of law remain the fundamental coordinates”.
From Physics and Philosophy, we know that the Lawof Cause-and-Effect is one of the fundamental principles governing our understanding of the universe – nothing ever happens without a cause or without a succession of causes, and for every action, there is a reaction. This principle applies at all levels – nations, governments, societies, corporations, institutions, or individuals. Politics is intrinsically tied to the causes of change in society, as it involves forces, events, and ideologies that influence how power is distributed, and how societies function. The four major moments evoked in this article are political events having in common the search for solutions to fundamental challenges our world faces. If problems are common, then solutions must be common. And if both problems and solutions are common, then their causes are intertwined. Historically, structural changes like those we are seeing now only come around once in a century and may be disruptive. But disruptions are not always destructive. When exceptional situations require exceptional measures, they can be a catalyst for new construction.
Post Scriptum: I took inspiration for the title of this article from the memoir “Times to Remember” by Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy, the mother of President John F. Kennedy, because today just like in her time history is being written before our eyes, and we are living times to remember. As the former UN Secretary General Dag Hammarskjold – whom President Kennedy called “the greatest statesman of our century” – once said: “Do not look back. And do not dream about the future, either. It will neither give you back the past, nor satisfy your other dreams. Your duty, your reward – your destiny – are here and now”.
Dr. Ion I. Jinga
Note: The opinions expressed in this article do not bind the official position of the author.
