In recent months, the United States has made a habit of exiting international organisations, from the World Health Organization (WHO) to the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC). These departures, typically justified as pragmatic rejections of bodies that no longer serve American interests, raise a pointed question: Why stop there? Why not withdraw from the most powerful international forum of all—the United Nations Security Council?
For decades, the United Nations (UN) has served as the central platform for international cooperation, with its Security Council (UNSC) intended to preserve peace and security through collective action. Yet recent developments signal a deeper structural crisis: the United States has withdrawn from or defunded several major UN-related bodies and international organisations, even while retaining a privileged position on the UNSC that allows it to block resolutions—particularly regarding Israel’s actions in Gaza.
