The United Nations in a Divided World

The United Nations is meant to offer a framework for states to work together to pursue their common interests. Yet in recent years, it has often been a platform for diplomats to criticize and attack one another, reflecting the growing fragmentation of the international system. The Security Council has split and failed to act meaningfully in response to the wars in Ukraine, Gaza and Sudan. UN members are falling behind in their efforts to eradicate extreme poverty and limit global warming. Although the UN is still a space where representatives of all nations can engage and bargain, the returns on their diplomatic efforts are diminishing.

Many UN members are now calling for fundamental reforms to the organization — starting with the Security Council — to address its failings. In September, leaders will meet in New York for a one-off Summit of the Future that is meant to be an opportunity to overhaul multilateralism to address new and emerging challenges. But UN insiders say that the Summit is liable to fall short of expectations. UN diplomats are also watching the U.S. elections closely, wondering if Washington will take a more unilateralist approach in future.

Against this unpromising backdrop, are there ways for the UN’s members, including the U.S., to reverse the negative trends affecting the organization? Can the UN reinvent itself as a framework for reducing risks between China, Russia and the U.S. — and easing tensions between the West and Global South — in a period of ongoing global friction? What is the realistic level of ambition for the organization at this time, and is there a way to maintain and advance multilateral cooperation in such uneasy times.