This article is the English version of Anton Hemerijck and Waltraud Schelke, « Gouvernabilité, inégalités et État-providence », published in Politique étrangère (Vol. 91, No. 2, 2026) which celebrates the journal’s 90th anniversary.
The hard-right repositioning of the current United States (U.S.) administration under Donald Trump, including recent military threats against North Atlantic Treaty Organization allies, has demonstrated beyond reasonable doubt that the rule-based liberal international order is in deep crisis. The response in Europe revolves around two competing views. On the one hand, there is the opinion that higher defense spending comes at the expense of generous welfare provision that most Europeans hold dear, from public education, healthcare, unemployment insurance, and pensions. On the other hand, there are those who staunchly continue to privilege welfare outlays over military spending. On this side, there is the argument that military might easily triggers armed conflict. A few, such as the Italian minister of interior Matteo Salvini, opportunistically side with the pacifists by professing a hitherto unsuspected support for the welfare state and “peace”, even though they make no secret of their admiration for President Vladimir Putin.
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