UN as a thought platform

The 76th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) was held in New York City, where the UNheadquarters is located. The meeting, held online last year due to the coronavirus pandemic, was held in a hybrid format this year. As in the previous year, this year’s UNGA meetings were also marked by the consequences of the pandemic. Although the world seems more optimistic about the fight against the pandemic compared to last year, the situation for underdeveloped countries remains pessimistic. The direct and indirect COVID-19 fallouts will likely occupy the UN agenda for many years to come.

The food crisis – which became more evident with the pandemic – and the fight against global climate change, were at the top of the list of topics during the gathering. Compared to pre-pandemic periods, the meeting was rather dull. The new situation in Afghanistan following the Taliban takeover also occupied the agendas of discussions. Developed country representatives, on the other hand, focused more on global climate change.

The main development that overshadowed the UNGA gatherings was the AUKUS agreement reached between Australia, the United States and the United Kingdom just before the plenary session. The trio’s deal was a strategic move beyond bringing a new generation of nuclear-powered submarines to Australia. It caused the cancellation of the billion-euro agreement between France and Australia on submarine sales. The deal has been interpreted as part of a strategic design to contain China in the Pacific region. This interpretation reflects the truth as countries such as Japan, India and South Korea are also preparing to join this union. These steps taken to contain China are also in contradiction with the speech made by US President Joe Biden at the UNGA podium. Although Washington expresses that it does not want a new Cold War and a new polarization, the recent steps taken clearly reflect the general reflexes and attitude of the Cold War period. Undoubtedly, this attitude will be met with a response by China and its allies.

The US president, who lost his credibility due to the withdrawal debacle from Afghanistan and the criticisms in domestic politics, also drew an extremely faint picture in the UN The U.S.' ineffective and insincere attitude also weakens the reputation of international institutions and organizations established under US leadership, such as the U.N.

Global strategy commentators confirm that the global system that produced stability under the US leadership (now known as “Pax Americana”) has come to an end. It will not be surprising that the next process will be more contentious and dynamic. What was on everyone's minds at the UNGA, but neither party could openly discuss, was how the post-Pax Americana era would manifest itself and how it would affect the UN system. The withdrawal of the US and its allies from institutions and agreements operating with the logic of multilateralism will further weaken these institutions and agreements. How to fill this gap remains ambiguous.