Bangladesh, Sept. 19 -- European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen's 2026 State of the Union address presented a vision of a European Union that is increasingly prepared to act independently in a more fragmented and competitive international system. Her speech combined warnings about security threats with calls for greater European defence spending, reduced dependence on foreign suppliers, stronger industrial capacity and a much closer strategic relationship with Canada.

The address also raised a larger question about Europe's place in the emerging international order. Is the European Union attempting to become a more autonomous geopolitical actor, or could its effort to reduce strategic dependencies produce new confrontations wi...