8| Z ACHARY P AIKIN , S HADA I SLAM AND S VEN B ISCOP For many Europeans, there is certainly comfort in the self-soothing narrative of a Western ‘comeback’ in a troubled world marked by China’s rise. Similarly reassuring is the conviction that we still inhabit a US-led unipolar world where, although the EU must tackle its external dependence in energy, tech and supply chains to enhance its strategic autonomy and sovereignty – as well as because of the pandemic and the ramifications of the war in Ukraine – global relations remain largely unchanged. There is indeed still unity and minimal dissension in the West’s response to Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. NATO is back as a European security actor, defying accusations of being‘brain dead’. However, such Western unity – and thinking – comes at a cost. The war in Ukraine has further deepened an existing divide between the West and countries of the‘Global South’ whose leaders and citizens are wary not only of choosing sides in the Russo-Ukrainian war but also in the fierce rivalry between the US and China. In the case of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, dozens of countries from the‘Global South’ have abstained on UN General Assembly votes condemning Moscow. Even those who voted in favour(such as Brazil and Indonesia) often did so to signal their disapproval for ‘free’, refusing to join the sanctions campaign against Russia and holding decidedly different views from the West on how to end the war. T HE EU IN THE WORLD : A DJUSTING COURSE The mostly hands-off response of the‘Global South’ to Russia’s aggression against Ukraine should wake up EU policymakers to the fact that the world has changed. While the examples cited above present only a partial picture of current debate within the EU, they nonetheless show that officials and decision-makers often still struggle to come to terms with the emergence of key phenomena, notably the emergence of a truly multipolar world and more self-confident‘Global South’ nations which are wary of – once again – becoming pawns in great power competition. Yet, accept, adjust and adapt, they must. Crafting policy on misguided notions would be a huge strategic mistake. It would likely erode the EU’s global profile at a time not only of rising competition for power and influence in the‘Global South’, but also when the EU needs access to growing markets and critical raw materials that depends on the goodwill of the‘Global South’. Such considerations must be taken into account as the EU moves forward with its economic security strategy. As such, while they navigate the new global landscape, EU policymakers must engage in some much-needed self-reflection. Without altering the fact that Europe will need to come first in the EU’s strategic thinking and planning for some time – and this will remain