{"id":18361,"date":"2026-04-25T00:00:40","date_gmt":"2026-04-24T23:00:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.worldpolicyconference.com\/?p=18361"},"modified":"2026-10-08T15:48:14","modified_gmt":"2026-10-08T14:48:14","slug":"kagame-on-trump-rules-based-system-and-rwanda-paying-huge-price-for-iran-war","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.worldpolicyconference.com\/fr\/kagame-on-trump-rules-based-system-and-rwanda-paying-huge-price-for-iran-war\/","title":{"rendered":"Kagame on Trump, Rules-based System, and Rwanda Paying \u2018Huge Price\u2019 for Iran War"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

04.25.2026<\/p>\n

CHANTILLY, France \u2014 At a moment of widening geopolitical strain and eroding global consensus, President Paul Kagame used a public exchange at the World Policy Conference on Friday to deliver a blunt critique of the international system, arguing that today\u2019s instability is less a rupture than the exposure of long- standing imbalances.<\/p>\n

Speaking in a question-and-answer session moderated by Thierry de Montbrial, the founder of the forum, Mr. Kagame framed global disorder not as a sudden breakdown but as the logical outcome of decades of unequal power relations between major and smaller states.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is a lot to be done to go back to some kind of order,\u201d he said. But even the earlier order, he added, was incomplete and exclusionary. \u201cMany things needed to change\u2026 to make it more stable, reach more parts of the world and therefore more people.\u201d<\/p>\n

A System Long Under Strain<\/p>\n

Pressed on what rising global tensions mean for Africa, Mr. Kagame rejected the premise that the continent is only now being affected.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfrica has been affected all along,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s not just around this crisis\u2026 even when things looked stable globally.\u201d<\/p>\n

He described a system in which power, rather than principle, determines legitimacy.<\/p>\n

\u201cWho decides what is wrong? Who decides what is right \u2014 and on what basis?\u201d he asked, before answering his own question: \u201cIs it just that you have the power? Therefore, you decide.\u201d<\/p>\n

The asymmetry, he argued, is most visible in how nations are treated when they act in their own interest.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen big powers feel threatened, they will do anything\u2026 and nobody should complain,\u201d he said. \u201cWhen smaller countries\u2026 see something that threatens them\u2026 the immediate thing is blame, punishment, criticism.\u201d<\/p>\n

Eastern Congo<\/p>\n

Turning to conflict in Central Africa, including tensions involving Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mr. Kagame warned against expectations of quick diplomatic fixes.<\/p>\n

\u201cProblems cannot be addressed overnight. Crisis cannot be overcome in such a short time,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

He emphasized that durable solutions depend on confronting root causes rather than managing symptoms.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is a need to look at the root causes of everything and then give time to dialogue\u2026 to find a win-win kind of solution,\u201d he noted<\/p>\n

While acknowledging international efforts \u2014 including those involving the United States \u2014 he suggested that external mediation can sometimes be misdirected.<\/p>\n

\u201cSometimes\u2026 the dialogue is not about the issues affecting people, Kagame said. \u201cIt\u2019s just how interests play into all that to determine the outcome.\u201d<\/p>\n

Global Conflicts, Local Consequences<\/p>\n

Asked about escalating tensions in the Middle East and their potential global repercussions, Mr. Kagame was unequivocal: \u201cThings are bad. They can get worse.\u201d<\/p>\n

He pointed to cascading economic effects already being felt worldwide.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can see the oil prices\u2026 fertilizer, food prices\u2026 affecting hundreds of millions of people,\u201d he said. \u201cThat will cascade into many other things and regions.\u201d<\/p>\n

For countries like Rwanda, he added, the impact is disproportionate and unavoidable. \u201cA small country like mine\u2026 doesn\u2019t have much say\u2026 other than having to pay a very huge price for what is happening.\u201d<\/p>\n

The West Under Scrutiny<\/p>\n

In response to questions about political shifts in the United States and Europe, including the long-term implications of Donald Trump\u2019s influence, Mr. Kagame shifted focus away from individual leaders to broader systemic dynamics.<\/p>\n

\u201cI talk more about the West than Trump,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

He argued that Western societies are now confronting internal contradictions that were long ignored.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe West has taken things for granted\u2026 that they know everything\u2026 can decide on everything, and the others don\u2019t matter,\u201d said Kagame<\/p>\n

The emergence of disruptive political figures, he suggested, reflects deeper social and political tensions.<\/p>\n

He noted: \u201cThere are contradictions within the society that have not been properly addressed\u2026 and in the end, they have to surface.\u201d<\/p>\n

Africa\u2019s Responser<\/p>\n

Mr. Kagame used Rwanda\u2019s own history \u2014 from devastation to recovery \u2014 to argue for a shift in how African countries approach development and global engagement.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe had to build from nothing,\u201d he said. \u201cWe started with ourselves\u2026 even if we partnered with others.\u201d<\/p>\n

He warned against internalizing narratives of dependency.<\/p>\n

He said: \u201cWe tend to look somewhere else\u2026 and then we find these powers also want to impress upon us that we don\u2019t have much\u2026 that we can only survive because of them.\u201d<\/p>\n

That perception, he said, must be actively rejected. \u201cThis notion has to be challenged\u2026 by all of us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Questioning the \u2018Rules-Based Order\u2019<\/p>\n

Throughout the exchange, Mr. Kagame returned to skepticism about the fairness of the global system, particularly the idea of a \u201crules-based international order.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople talk about the rules-based system. Which rules? Who makes them?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n

He pointed to contradictions between stated principles and actual behavior.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf we really were to respect the rules, why then do we have these troubles\u2026 even originating from the big powers?\u201d<\/p>\n

A Call for Rebalancing<\/p>\n

Despite his criticism, Mr. Kagame stopped short of proposing a specific alternative framework. Instead, he emphasized the need for broader inclusion and mutual respect.<\/p>\n

\u201cMore cooperation, more respect for each other,\u201d he said, urging a system in which \u201ceveryone should have some space to express themselves and contribute.\u201d<\/p>\n

Even smaller nations, he added, have a role. \u201cWe can at least raise a voice\u2026 and say maybe if we did this, we could\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

Mr. de Montbrial, closing the session, thanked the President for what he described as \u201cwords of wisdom,\u201d and encouraged attendees to engage more directly with Rwanda.<\/p>\n

The exchange, though brief, underscored a deeper divide shaping current geopolitics: not simply between regions or powers, but between competing interpretations of how the global system works \u2014 and for whom.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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