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European elections will be held in June 2024, following which a new EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy will be appointed to replace Josep Borrell. Since the last round of elections in 2019, the context has changed substantially, mainly due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and a hardening of authoritarianism in Turkey. The international scene has also changed greatly, with increased tensions between the USA and China, and a degree of ongoing ‘de-Westernization’ of the world. Given this state of affairs, how ought the Union to position itself and what should or could the major guidelines for its foreign policy be if peace and stability are to be maintained in Europe? To address this wide-ranging issue, Jean-François Drevet proposes, in this European Chronicle, to examine a number of lessons to be drawn from past diplomatic experiences, from Metternich and Bismarck to Henry Kissinger and Madeleine Albright — experiences that shaped the international relations of their day. The fact is that European diplomacy is not, for the moment, really equipped to keep the peace on its own territory in a context where war is being waged: methods of decision-making and regional cooperation need to be revisited.