Tag

#multilateralism

2 incidents

Updated July 7, 2020 Foreign Policy & War
Major Abuse of Power

WHO Withdrawal: Leaving World Health Organization During COVID Pandemic

Trump had previously threatened to withdraw or defund the WHO in April 2020; in May he made the withdrawal formal. Critics noted that withdrawing from the WHO during a pandemic eliminated U.S. influence over the global response to the same pandemic — including over vaccine development coordination, variant tracking, and equitable distribution programs. The U.S. would lose voting rights, committee seats, and the ability to shape WHO standards and guidelines. Allies and public health experts across the political spectrum criticized the decision. Biden rejoined the WHO within hours of taking office on January 20, 2021.

Sources
3
WHOCOVIDforeign-policyfirst-termmultilateralism
Foreign Policy & War
Major Abuse of Power

TPP Withdrawal and Multilateral Trade Retreat: Ceding Pacific Economic Leadership to China

The TPP was designed explicitly to be a counterweight to Chinese economic influence in the Asia-Pacific region — establishing labor standards, intellectual property rules, and trade norms that reflected democratic values rather than Chinese state capitalism. Trump's withdrawal handed China the diplomatic and economic initiative in the region it had been seeking. The 11 remaining nations completed the CPTPP without the U.S.; China has since established its own trade framework covering much of the same region.

Sources
4
TPPtradeChinaPacificfirst-term