Are multilateral organizations still relevant in a network-based world order, shaken by US President Trump’s stance on multilateralism?

APRI Armenia contributed to this ongoing debate, taking place at the 2025 Munich Security Conference (February 14, 2025), with a side event on “Minilateralism and the Shift from Global Alliances to Targeted Partnerships,” held in partnership with the Observer Research Foundation.

The breakfast roundtable was moderated by Anahide Pilibossian, with insights from Nikol Pashinyan, Prime Minister of Armenia, Dr. Vijay Chauthaiwale, Head of the Foreign Policy Department of the Bharatiya Janata Party, Professor L. Gordon Flake, Chief Executive Officer of the Perth USAsia Centre at The University of Western Australia, and Dr. Anna Wieslander, Director for Northern Europe at the Atlantic Council and Head of its Stockholm office.

The side event brought together government officials, diplomats, academics, and private-sector representatives around critical conversations on the future of security alliances. Beyond a debate on ongoing geopolitical trends with inputs from various geographical areas, the roundtable highlighted how countries are shifting from institutional, multilateral alliances to more dynamic, issue-driven “coalitions of the willing.”