Publication

This publication argues that the multilateral system is facing three interconnected crises: 1) a crisis of power, as global shifts in economic and political weight erode the bases of the system; 2) a crisis of relevance, as the UN and other global bodies struggle to handle old and new threats, and 3) a crisis of legitimacy, as influential governments and angry populist movements question the values and ambitions that have grown up around multilateral bodies. The text’s authors contend that though this fraying consensus threatens the EU, it also represents an opportunity for European influence.