<
https://www.globalpolicyjournal.com/blog/02/03/2026/renewal-un-requires-investment-and-democratic-reform>
"At the recent Munich Security Conference, the future of the United Nations
became the subject of a brief exchange. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas
argued that whenever the world faced major international crises, as it does
now, international law evolved in response, implying that this was a moment to
renew multilateral cooperation.
U.S. Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz, appearing on the same panel, stated that
everyone agreed reform was necessary. But in his view, this meant that the UN
needed to be put “on a diet,” scaled back to basics and stripped of what he
portrayed as bureaucratic excess.
In fact, Washington is expected to dramatically reduce its UN contributions. In
anticipation, UN chief António Guterres last year launched unprecedented staff
reductions and structural changes are under review in the so-called UN80
process. Recently, Guterres warned that the organization nonetheless risks
“imminent financial collapse.”
In what observers described as an eyebrow-raising moment, Waltz distributed
caps at the panel in Munich bearing the slogan “Make the UN Great Again.”
But the United Nations, arguably, was never “great” to begin with. It emerged
in 1945 as a compromise among the Second World War’s victorious powers,
including the totalitarian Soviet Union, and was not intended to be a
democratic gathering of humanity. The Security Council entrenches great power
privilege through its exclusive five permanent members who hold veto powers.
The General Assembly gives every member state government a vote, regardless of
whether it represents a democracy or a dictatorship. Even in 1945, a review of
the UN Charter was anticipated to be held within ten years but that undertaking
was quietly dropped.
Waltz is correct that major reform has not occurred in eight decades. But
reform that is reduced to austerity will not lead to meaningful, positive
changes. Nor does Donald Trump’s newly installed “Board of Peace,” with himself
as chairman for life and veto holder over most decisions, represent a credible
alternative. If anything, it illustrates how easily international cooperation,
steered by an authoritarian who mixes private and state interests, can slide
backward into personalized power.
Real reform will actually require investment, not only financial but
institutional and political. This is where a different reform trajectory enters
the debate. Strengthening the UN and multilateralism more broadly requires
strengthening their democratic character and moving beyond a strictly
state-centered model."
Via Muse.
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
