The Death of Diplomacy: Is the UN Beyond Repair?

Описание: The foundational purpose of the United Nations was to act as a check on unilateral military action. Yet this purpose began to fray three decades ago, at the dawn of the unipolar era. From the US intervention in the Balkans onwards, the UN has been sidelined as a dispute prevention and resolution mechanism. The Security Council is at the heart of this erosion; its five members’ procedural allegiance to multilateralism is often eroded by a reliance on unilateral military action, economic coercion, and ad-hoc coalitions of convenience.

The result is not merely an ineffective UN system, but one that has lost credibility as a dispute resolver. From West Asia to Eastern Europe, exceptionalism and double standards have hollowed out the principles of sovereignty and collective security.

This panel examines how multilateralism was abandoned from the top, whether it can be restored, and what kind of rules-based order, if any, can be rebuilt.

What drove the breakdown in multilateralism – the actions of a few powerful nations, or the inability of institutions to develop and enforce acceptable solutions?

As political, military, and economic revanchism accelerates, how can nations mitigate the risks of unrestrained power competition?

Are there realistic pathways to restoring enforceable rules within the existing UN framework, or must new mechanisms emerge outside it?

Can a reformed multilateral framework ensure its underwriters are not exempt from the rules and have an incentive to act within the system?

Speakers:

Mehdi Jomaa, Former Prime Minister, Tunisia

Alexandre Fasel, State Secretary, Foreign Affairs, Switzerland

Shashi Tharoor, Member of the Lok Sabha; Chairperson, Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs, India

Comfort Ero, President and Chief Executive Officer, International Crisis Group, United Kingdom

Jane Holl Lute, Former United States Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security, United States of America

Moderator: Rachel Rizzo, Senior Fellow, Observer Research Foundation, India

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