EU Leader Blames International Law Breakdown for Middle East Unrest

The European Union's top diplomat says the deterioration of international law has directly led to current Middle East instability. Kaja Kallas criticized major powers including Russia, China, and the United States for undermining global order through unilateral actions.

ZURICH, March 5 – The ongoing instability across the Middle East stems directly from the breakdown of international legal standards, according to the European Union’s foreign policy leader Kaja Kallas, who delivered these remarks Thursday.

Speaking at the University of Zurich, Kallas blamed the deterioration of global order on major world powers choosing to act independently rather than following established international protocols. She specifically criticized Russia while also taking aim at China and the United States.

“Today, the chaos we see around us in the Middle East is a direct consequence of the erosion of international law,” she stated, claiming that Russia’s military action in Ukraine has emboldened other nations to ignore international standards.

Regarding China’s role, Kallas accused the nation of exploiting weakened international regulations to expand its reach across the Asia-Pacific area while applying economic pressure to European countries.

“Without restoring international law, together with accountability, we are doomed to see repeated violations of the law, disruption and chaos,” Kallas warned.

When addressing America’s role, she described Washington’s foreign policy changes as having “rocked the transatlantic relationship to its foundation, with aftershocks in other parts of the world,” characterizing the impact on global stability as “seismic.”

“The current direction is a new world order characterised by competition and coercive power politics, a world order dominated by a handful of military powers who aim to establish and secure spheres of influence,” Kallas explained.

The EU official delivered her comments during the Churchill Special Lecture, marking approximately eight decades since Britain’s wartime Prime Minister Winston Churchill addressed the same university and advocated for creating a “United States of Europe” in the aftermath of World War Two’s destruction.