As European leaders hobnob with their colleagues at the 81st session of the UN General Assembly, they must think carefully about how to navigate the rapidly changing multilateral landscape. The old world belonged to governments and institution builders, but today it prefers people who can improvise.
BERLIN—When world leaders descend on New York City for the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly, the international order they are being asked to defend is worse than at any point since 1945. China and Russia have never accepted the post-Cold War international system, many central powers have recently asserted, and their financial backers have lost interest in the American public. With the UN set to elect a new secretary-general and US President Donald Trump’s administration openly hostile to multilateralism, it is unclear how long the system can stagger.
BERLIN—When world leaders descend on New York City for the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly, the international order they are being asked to defend is worse than at any point since 1945. China and Russia have never accepted the post-Cold War international system, many central powers have recently asserted, and their financial backers have lost interest in the American public. With the UN set to elect a new secretary-general and US President Donald Trump’s administration openly hostile to multilateralism, it is unclear how long the system can stagger.