In Power, Permission and the End of Illusions, Reinout Schotman examines how the global order is shifting from norms and assumptions to power, capability, and deliberate design. Building on Ursula von der Leyen’s Davos speech, this paper shows why dependency is giving way to conditional partnership, and why power without permission is ultimately empty. This is not a geopolitical commentary, but a strategic reading of what the emerging world demands from Europe, boards, and executive leadership: fewer illusions, more structural preparedness.