Multilateralism had a strange year in 2022, to put it mildly. On the one hand, except for the Caucasus, conflict broke out once more in Europe with a virulence that has not been witnessed on the ancient continent since the 1990s. With Russia’s direct aggression and the reemergence of the nuclear threat, the globe appears to be becoming more and more split, and the effects of the conflict have spread throughout society. But it’s also true that there have been more international conferences and bilateral gatherings recently, which, after the pandemic-induced break, could be a positive sign of a rebound in international cooperation.
Currently, the struggle for Multilateralism between the United States and China, which serves as the primary driver of international affairs, is causing a deterioration in multilateralism. The Thucydides Trap, which could result in conflict if a developing power manages to unseat the existing one as happened between Sparta and Athens during the Peloponnesian War, is a topic of significant discussion. The threat of a new Kindleberger Trap, which refers to the void left when the new hegemonic power declines to fulfill the same function of global public goods supplier as its predecessor, is another issue of concern. The 1930s are being used as a historical context here.
First off, South Africa will hold the G20 presidency in 2025, following by Brazil in 2024, and India will take over from Indonesia in the second of four successive global south presidencies. Early September’s G20 conference in New Delhi will approximately occur simultaneously with India overtaking China as the world’s most populous nation. What part the Modi administration will recreate in what will undoubtedly be the beginning of greater Indian relevance in world politics is still unknown. Beyond its enduring desire to be a member of the UN Council, if India is successful in bridging East and West, utilizing both its rising nation and its stature as a major power, Consolidated democracy will be advantageous for multilateralism’s future.
Second, it will be intriguing to see how the hereafter of the European project is shaped over the next few months. With the NATO summit, the German zeitenwende, and the mantra of open strategic autonomy in 2022, the pandemic and the Ukraine have given the geopolitical Europe that the Von der Leyen Commission pledged new life. This stronger EU is being built as a result. Will the Union keep traveling down this path to surpass Earth as the third main planetary power? Hopefully, the EU will eventually regain some of the impetus it once enjoyed as a model for global transnational integration, creative governance, and the use of soft power.
In the calendar created by the UN Secretary-General in advance of the major Summit of the Future, which will take place in 2024, 2023 will mark a turning point in the development of the multilateralism of the future. The newly declared New Agenda for Peace will be submitted at a significant preliminary meeting in September, when the General Assembly’s annual opening ceremony will take place in New York. This will be motivated by the suggestions made on how to develop more inclusive, more linked global governance that an astonished Advisory Board on Effective Multilateralism will present next spring. Beyond the breadth and complexity of the suggestions, it is challenging to imagine that nations would have the political will to put them into practice under such hostile conditions for agreement. However, the scope of the desire is admirable and merits our attention and assistance in its pursuit.
Conclusion
Without a question, the crisis in Ukraine will continue to dominate the world agenda. The energy problem, inflation, and a possible confrontation in Taiwan will all be key themes for the year. These are not reasons for optimism, but we shouldn’t give up hope that this year will bring about the aforementioned developments, laying the groundwork for the radical reforms of global governance that are sorely needed: modernizing the WTO, reinventing Bretton Woods, fostering viscosity in regional multilateralism, and making it more inclusive by giving non-state voices a larger voice. In other words, overhauling the 1945 procedure, which is ineffective.
Although it is unclear whether our administrators will be capable, it is our responsibility as a civil society to demand change. A decent year to implement it might be 2023.