Might makes right? Rules‑based order on trial in Europe as Iran war deepens divide

The war in Iran is triggering a fundamental crisis within the European Union, forcing its leaders to confront whether the international rules-based order it helped build is now obsolete. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen publicly questioned whether the global system of consensus and compromise is "more a help or a hindrance" to the EU's credibility as a geopolitical power. This came after more than a week of intense, public sparring among the EU's 27 member states over the legality of unilateral U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran, laying bare deep internal divisions.

On one side of the debate are mostly conservative officials who advocate for the fall of Iran's regime "regardless of the means," prioritizing outcome over process. On the other are progressives who, while no supporters of Tehran's hardliners, warn that endorsing breaches of international law is a dead end for a political union built upon those very rules. This clash isn't just diplomatic; it strikes at the existential identity of the EU, described as one of the most legalistic political structures on the planet. The outcome will determine if Europe continues as a custodian of the old-world order or embraces a new, more pragmatic—and potentially more chaotic—approach to global power.