US President Donald Trump has declared war on the United Nations. First he withdrew from the World Health Organization, now from the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) and from the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). He attributed his decision to the fact that the world organization is poorly managed and its activities are not in Washington's interests. Such decisions can seriously threaten the entire system of international relations. Details - in the material "Izvestia".
Thanks, but no thanks
"The United States helped found the UN after World War II to prevent future global conflicts and promote international peace and security. But some UN agencies and bodies have moved away from this mission and instead act against the interests of the United States by attacking our allies and promoting anti-Semitism," according to the decree of US President Donald Trump.
U.S. President Donald Trump
As explained in the White House, Washington will now not participate in the work of the UNHRC and will not seek election to the body. In addition, the state is not going to finance the Council or "meet any requirements for payment of contributions for 2025 or previous arrears."
The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East suffered the same fate.
"UNRWA has been infiltrated by members of groups that the Secretary of State has long designated as foreign terrorist organizations, and UNRWA staff were involved in the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023," the U.S. president said.
With his executive orders, Trump showed that he continues to clarify relations with international organizations. This is a process that began back during his first presidential term. The head of state emphasized that "the UN, which has excellent potential, is working badly", failing to fulfill its tasks. He called "bad governance" the cause of the problems.
The United States had already withdrawn from the UNHRC during Trump's first term, but returned during the presidency of Joseph Biden. Upon returning to the White House, the Republican reaffirmed his decision.
Rolling up his sleeves
Donald Trump zealously took up the cause. One of his executive orders requires the head of the State Department Marco Rubio to regularly report to the White House on which international associations and organizations are "engaged in promoting radical and anti-American policies".
Barely back in power, the Republican announced the U.S. withdrawal from the World Health Organization (WHO), citing its inability to "carry out necessary reforms" and "demonstrate independence from the undue political influence of member countries." As a result, WHO management has had to limit travel and suspend recruitment.
UNESCO, which deals with education, science and culture, is also at risk of falling under Trump's attack. The President plans to review the US membership in the organization. In particular, according to the head of state, he will assess "whether and how UNESCO supports U.S. interests," as well as analyze "any manifestations of anti-Semitism or anti-Israeli sentiment within the organization."
Marco Rubio
Politico's White House sources told the publication that Trump accused UNESCO of displaying "anti-American bias."
The UN tried to ignore these outbursts. Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for the United Nations secretary-general, conciliatory, said the support the U.S. has given to the UN since day one has saved countless lives and strengthened global security.
He added that Secretary General António Guterres "looks forward to continuing the productive relationship with President Trump and the U.S. government and strengthening that relationship in today's turbulent world."
The UNHRC, which has lost its U.S. funding, did not make a big deal of the situation either. The organization assured that its budget is determined by the UN General Assembly, and thus is considered "an integral part of the regular budget." So as long as the Organization itself has money, the Human Rights Council is not threatened by the lack of funding.
In early February, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov published an article in the journal Russia in Global Politics. In the article, the Russian Foreign Minister emphasized that so far, it appears that "the new U.S. administration will be testing the limits of pliability of the existing unocentric system and its resistance to U.S. interests" with cowboy raids.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres
"I am sure, however, that this administration will soon realize that the international reality is much richer than the ideas about the world that can be used without any consequences in speeches to domestic American audiences and to its obedient geopolitical allies," the minister wrote.
Lavrov stressed that multipolarity is being strengthened, and also expressed hope that instead of countering this objective process, the United States could in the foreseeable historical perspective become one of the responsible centers of power - along with Russia, China and other powers of the Global South, East, North and West.
What experts think
Andrei Kortunov, research director of the Russian International Affairs Council, reminded Izvestia that Donald Trump was extremely skeptical of the UN system and specialized agencies during his first term.
- It is a tradition of conservative Republicans not to trust any international organizations, especially those with large bureaucracies, which are expensive and universal, i.e. they include many countries of the world," the political scientist explained.
In his opinion, Trump's clashes with international institutions will reduce the effectiveness of the UN and other structures of this type, because it will mean a reduction in financial revenues from the US.
- Washington already has debts on the UN budget. It is likely that the US will use its veto power. But in general, the UN has survived various American presidents, and we can assume that it will not collapse in four years," said the expert.
The analyst also added that this year the election of a new UN Secretary General will be held, and this requires the consent of all permanent members of the Security Council. In all likelihood, the process will be accompanied by various difficulties, Kortunov said.
Natalia Yeremina, a doctor of political sciences and professor at St. Petersburg State University, said in a conversation with Izvestia that Trump's decisions are a sign that the international system is undergoing transformation. In addition, it is also a sign of a struggle for influence. In her opinion, this is the president's way of trying to demonstrate US leadership and primacy.
- He shows that the U.S. will no longer negotiate through these platforms, it considers itself a leading state and is not going to build equal partnerships," the expert believes.
American political scientist Anastasia Bunina noted in a conversation with Izvestia that Trump's decision is not final yet. It is quite possible that if the next president is a Democrat, he will return to all organizations.
- The second important element: Trump is essentially conducting an audit of all American spending and obligations. And, thus, he is likely to agree on his own terms to participate in some processes of these institutions with less responsibility, including financial," the expert believes.
The analyst believes that now Trump is "laying down the redistribution of American responsibility" in such a way that in the long term it will be favorable not only to the Republicans, but also to the Democrats.
- It was the same with China, when Trump continued Obama's anti-China policy, which under him had already become openly directed against China, and Biden also did not roll back measures that eventually became favorable to the United States. I think right now Donald Trump is simply returning America to a state where Americans do whatever they want, but at a lower financial cost," Bunina summarized.
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