After special forces of the United States of America abducted the Venezuelan president, Nicolás Maduro, in a brazen and illegal act, the United Nations Security Council met and condemnations of the US’s actions and its violation of international law followed from most UNSC members. But words are no match for brute military strength. The US’s response has been illuminating: more threats from President Donald Trump against Greenland, Mexico, Colombia and Iran. That Mr Trump’s administration does not care much about the UN is evident. Incidentally, the Global South has been increasingly cynical of the UN too, pointing out to its inherent asymmetrical structure and demanding parity among members and reform. Is it then time for the world to move beyond the UN, that too at a time when the rules-based international order is under unprecedented strain?

That the UN has been ailing has been clear for decades. The post-World War II consensus it was meant to hold up fractured long ago. And the US itself has been the guiltiest party when it comes to breaking international law. Yet, in its early years, the UN played a valuable role in ending conflicts. In 1956, the UN even bypassed Security Council vetoes by France and the United Kingdom to pass a resolution calling for the end of the Suez war. After French, British and Israeli troops withdrew from Egypt, the UN established its first ever peacekeeping force. But the assertion of such agency on the part of the UN has been rare in recent times even as some of its key member states flout the international rules of engagement. For most countries around the world, multilateralism still holds benefits. As recently as the Covid-19 pandemic, multilateral organisations, including the UN, played a pivotal role in helping millions of people survive. But if the biggest superpower openly rejects the concept and the organisations that uphold it, it is naive to expect that its closest rivals, China and Russia, will follow the rules of international law. And that will accelerate a cascading effect with other countries following suit. The dangers of this slide are obvious. It took a world war to convince the world of the need for multilateralism. It cannot afford another similar war as a reminder. Perhaps a world without the UN should not come to pass.