Drawing a Line Under the 20th Century

The second half of the twentieth century was marked by the desire to build multilateralism, a guarantee of peace and prosperity. It is also these two objectives that have presided over the construction of Europe during the same period. But the world today has become mostly non-cooperative. Might is right, national interests dominate, simmering conflicts erupt, and some international institutions seem to belong to an old world.

Yet nostalgia cannot be a strategy. While it is essential to reaffirm our values, particularly those of respect for the rule of law and international rules, we must also recognize the limits of the model built in the twentieth century. Multilateral dialogue forums have not so often made it possible to provide concrete solutions to the major challenges facing the planet. The social and political consequences of globalization have been minimized; some authoritarian regimes have succeeded in supplanting liberal democracies when it comes to technological innovation. It is to this lucid assessment that we will have to tackle in this session, so that we can turn the page on the twentieth century and build an exciting but realistic future.