*Aftershock* [image: U.S. Vice President JD Vance at a panel discussion at the Munich Security Conference.] <https://t.devex.com/dc/kyXVoDpAY__Vu56MNr4POrvcLq4aXQ3JuEBY7kktpbmpVUlc7vwbkLrD7s9amNXzKJiX07gSoM0ZRLjutiVdKlQpaPzcc9S1-2-9ku_gscT1uwnA4PzAot0g9bbKc3_VTRzbEhY8bF1wTUMy83XnyO4GaDDNfOI83I0WHYQ3XJDjU6qpZL0ZUqwYr0oX11xe3PmYEkXwkGRJQ_07ig804kETZw5Aqhrt5ZM8AKWQeROWNOENQpDHGhfeZGwORVbMQY3dcuwY0VVqVz2D6OY-xw==/Njg1LUtCTC03NjUAAAGYx15_q8rmEppOfm-4enZ-07ZU0SrFywJBdDr5Na0c-niDgUmW0TITioKeX7vCzPgnJbdB3fM=> U.S. Vice President JD Vance’s bombshell speech at the Munich Security Conference, or MSC, sent tremors through global development circles <https://t.devex.com/dc/kyXVoDpAY__Vu56MNr4POrvcLq4aXQ3JuEBY7kktpbmpVUlc7vwbkLrD7s9amNXzKJiX07gSoM0ZRLjutiVdKlQpaPzcc9S1-2-9ku_gscT1uwnA4PzAot0g9bbKc3_VTRzbEhY8bF1wTUMy83XnyO4GaDDNfOI83I0WHYQ3XJDjU6qpZL0ZUqwYr0oX11xe3PmYEkXwkGRJQ_07ig804kETZw5Aqhrt5ZM8AKWQeROWNOENQpDHGhfeZGwORVbMaG5s0qOBMviJ-3m4W3bcOA==/Njg1LUtCTC03NjUAAAGYx15_q8rmEppOfm-4enZ-07ZU0SrFywJBdDr5Na0c-niDgUmW0TITioKeX7vCzPgnJbdB3fM=>, a key insider says. Ignoring Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Vance attacked European democracies, aligning with far-right narratives. At a Devex Pro event, Michael Werz, MSC’s senior adviser for North America and multilateral affairs, called it a historic moment: “There was a lot of stubbornness, a lot of attitude of *‘we’re not going to bend our knee,’*” he said — referring to conversations he overheard and discussions in development, climate, and international finance meetings that followed last Friday’s speech. Behind the scenes, *leaders scrambled to counter Vance’s stance*, discussing new alliances — possibly with South Africa, Brazil, and India — to “stabilize the global system.” One European attendee put it bluntly: “So the Americans tried to denazify the Europeans after ‘45, and *now they’re trying to renazify the Europeans* ?” Werz warned that if the USAID funding freeze continues, “we will reach a point of no return relatively quickly.” He also *called for rebranding military budgets* as “unified security budgets” to support development and security together. While some hard-line figures still dismiss development’s role in security — “they say we don't want to have a conversation with tree huggers and do-gooders” — Werz insisted they are now “a minority.” He argued for *framing issues like gender equality in economic terms*, noting most smallholder farmers ensuring food security are women. MSC, once a backroom military forum of “elderly white men smoking cigarettes,” now grapples with modern threats — climate, food security, and AI. The fallout from Vance’s speech may reshape the future of global cooperation, writes my colleague Rob Merrick. *Read:* ‘We're not going to bend our knee’— how aid leaders reacted to VP <https://t.devex.com/dc/kyXVoDpAY__Vu56MNr4POrvcLq4aXQ3JuEBY7kktpbmpVUlc7vwbkLrD7s9amNXzKJiX07gSoM0ZRLjutiVdKlQpaPzcc9S1-2-9ku_gscT1uwnA4PzAot0g9bbKc3_VTRzbEhY8bF1wTUMy83XnyO4GaDDNfOI83I0WHYQ3XJDjU6qpZL0ZUqwYr0oX11xe3PmYEkXwkGRJQ_07ig804kETZw5Aqhrt5ZM8AKWQeROWNOENQpDHGhfeZGwORVbMREufD6QrUJyQ2MREoyrrSw==/Njg1LUtCTC03NjUAAAGYx15_q8rmEppOfm-4enZ-07ZU0SrFywJBdDr5Na0c-niDgUmW0TITioKeX7vCzPgnJbdB3fM=>