Multilateralism – Here and there

US withdrawal from Open Skies Treaty: undermining military mutual trust and transparency, says China

23 November 2020 Editor In the news

The United States has officially withdrawn from the Open Skies treaty, with effect 22 November 2020, blaming the withdrawal on Russia’s transgression of the Treaty.

Economic diplomacy in the era of great powers (Linda Yueh)

27 October 2020 Editor Analysis and comment, Foreign policy, trade and diplomacy

The inability of the major powers to set new global rules has had a detrimental impact on an international system under significant strain. Linda Yueh argues for a new approach to economic diplomacy that considers not just economic considerations, but also broader foreign policy aims, greater transparency, and a pluralistic approach to global rules to strengthen the multilateral system.

What Trump will be leaving behind if he leaves (SWP)

6 October 2020 Editor Analysis and comment, Geopolitics

Volker Perthes contemplates what might be the legacy of Donald Trump if he were to lose the November election. Should Joe Biden win the election, Perthes suggests, he will not be able to turn the wheel of history back to the Obama era. Instead, he would have to deal with – and have his presidency shaped by – a lingering Trump legacy.

The UN at 75: a real declaration of intent, or multilateral virtue signalling?

14 September 2020 Mike Scrafton Around the World, By Mike Scrafton, Foreign policy, trade and diplomacy, International relations

An atmosphere of unreality is building in advance of the virtual meeting of world leaders on 21 September 2020 to mark the 75th anniversary of the United Nations (UN). Nothing demonstrates this more than the proposed draft declaration. Rather than reaffirming the UN’s centrality, the draft declaration’s faux earnestness jars amid the current international reality. Additionally, it ignores the biggest challenge to multilateralism.

The future of multilateralism and strategic partnerships (Elena Lazarou)

13 September 2020 Editor Analysis and comment

The current European Commission has set the defence and reform of multilateralism as one of its key priorities. In this ideas paper from the EU Parliament’s Research Service, Elena Lazarou tackles the question of how to achieve the EU’s objective in an environment where coronavirus has exacerbated the struggle to uphold multilateralism in a climate of growing nationalism, protectionism and rising great power competition.