Abstract

The aggression of the Russian military, which started the war in Ukraine, opened the possibility for NATO to invoke Article 5 of its Founding Treaty, according to which an “attack against one of its members will be considered an attack against the entire Alliance.” After the COVID-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine has caused the world to face the biggest security concerns and economic crisis of rising prices on a global scale. The clash of powers to maintain geopolitical interests between the US, EU and their allies, on the one side, and Russia and China as parties interested in expanding global influence, on the other side, has increased the risk of a new world war. In geostrategic terms, the threat to use nuclear weapons represents the greatest threat to humanity since World War II. The balance of power seems to be shifting. The Ukrainian War has brought to attention the possibility of a break in the balance of power in the international system. China is manifesting its ambitions for dominance in Asia and to extend its influence in Africa and the Balkans, posing a potential danger to international security and liberal democracy.