Multilateralism
Learn about multilateralism — the practice of coordinating national policies through international institutions like the UN, WTO, and WHO to address shared global challenges.
Multilateralism — the practice of coordinating relations among three or more states through agreed-upon rules, norms, and institutions — has been the foundation of the international order since 1945. Born from the catastrophe of two world wars, the multilateral system was designed to prevent conflict, promote trade, protect human rights, and address problems that no single nation could solve alone.
The United Nations, established in 1945, anchors the system, along with specialized agencies like the World Health Organization, the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, and the World Trade Organization. Regional organizations — the European Union, African Union, ASEAN — complement global institutions. International treaties govern everything from nuclear weapons to climate change to the law of the sea.
Multilateralism faces growing challenges in the 21st century. Rising nationalism, great-power competition between the US and China, the difficulty of reaching consensus among nearly 200 sovereign states, and frustration with institutional gridlock have all strained the system. The Security Council's veto power often prevents action on the most urgent crises. Yet the problems multilateralism was designed to address — climate change, pandemics, nuclear proliferation, terrorism, migration — are more pressing than ever. The future of multilateralism may depend on whether institutions can reform and adapt or whether they will be bypassed by new arrangements.