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Diplomacy and International Institutions

Can an “Alliance for Multilateralism” Succeed in a New Era of Nationalism?

As the United States abandons multilateral commitments, other Western democracies are looking to fill the void of leadership.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel shakes hands with French President Emmanuel Macron during a bilateral meeting in Biarritz, France, on August 24, 2019. Ludovic Marin/Pool via Reuters

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  • Stewart M. Patrick
    James H. Binger Senior Fellow in Global Governance and Director of the International Institutions and Global Governance Program

In my weekly column for World Politics Review, I examine a new initiative to bolster multilateralism and the liberal order amid faltering U.S. leadership.

Since 1945, America’s democratic allies around the world have relied on the United States to champion and defend an open, rules-based international system, grounded in liberal values and multilateralism. Since January 2017, U.S. President Donald Trump has repudiated this role and turned the United States into a revisionist power, mimicking China and Russia in efforts to reconfigure important aspects of the global order. In a desperate attempt to hold the line, France and Germany will officially launch an “Alliance for Multilateralism” at the opening of the 74th United Nations General Assembly later this month. 

Read the full World Politics Review article here.