Alexis Tsipras: No International Community, Only the Law of the Strong

Former Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras highlighted a period of increasing instability and wars during a session of the Western Balkans Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe on Monday (23.06.2025). Speaking about Bosnia and Herzegovina, he pointed to conflicts in Ukraine following Russia’s illegal invasion, continuous Israeli attacks in Palestine resulting in tens of thousands of civilian casualties, and U.S. and Israeli bombings in Iran. Tsipras emphasized that honesty about this situation is essential to overcoming it. He noted that we are living in a time not only where war is chosen over diplomacy by the international community but also where there is no longer an international community—only the law of the strong. He questioned how many more terrorist attacks will occur while this war policy continues and how much migration flows will increase from conflict zones. Tsipras warned that those who tolerate the erosion of international law today will advocate for new armaments and measures against migration tomorrow. He concluded that if the Council of Europe and the EU do not work for peace, stability, and diplomatic solutions like the Prespa Agreement, they will lose credibility as an international force, allowing other powers to grow stronger, especially in the Balkans.