Valdai Club

The decision by the United States to withdraw from 31 organisations within the United Nations system, alongside President Donald Trump’s initiative to establish the Board of Peace, may trigger another phase in the crisis of universalism. What we are witnessing is an attempt to construct a hierarchical model of multipolarity in which one pole shapes alternative institutions to serve its own interests. For the United Nations, as the core platform for peacebuilding and global development, this constitutes a structural challenge, writes Candidate of Political Sciences Lilia Romadan.

Today, debates about the UNSC veto power have become particularly acute: it is described either as an “anachronism” or as a “pillar of the international order”. In reality, the issue is broader: can this mechanism be abandoned in an era of multipolarity? This question is examined by Lilia Romadan, a participant of the Valdai—New Generation project.

The UN approached its eightieth anniversary not simply with a wealth of experience, but at a turning point in time, where two visions of the future clash: the West seeks to rewire the global governance system to suit its own standards, while the countries of the World Majority insist on a return to genuine principles of equality and sovereignty. The outcome of the reform will determine whether the organisation remains a universal forum for all or becomes an instrument of global inequality. This and other reflections are provided by Lilia Romadan, a PhD candidate in political science. The author is a participant of the Valdai – New Generation project.