Multilateral systems are hailed as a great success of human advancement. The existence of organisations like the United Nations, NATO and the European Union proved that states were making a conscious choice to choose collaboration, consensus and alliance in the twentieth century after a devastating period of conflict and war. The price of failure of this multilateral project would place a newfound sense of shared global prosperity at risk.
I recently asked MPS members for their views on the current state of multilateralism, and the responses revealed a number of structural pressures faced by the international system. The move towards a multipolar world has not only shifted the balance of power in a hegemonic liberal world order, but has also introduced new categories of players.
One of these is technology companies, singled out by both our members and the House of Lords’ International Relations and Defence Committee as key non-state actors. With control over critical communications infrastructure, data, and now artificial intelligence, these companies can function as de-facto political actors, though both domestic and global governance structures struggle to keep pace with technological advancement.
Advancement outpacing regulation and ethical use frameworks is not an issue endemic to international security alone, and the consequences of this on social cohesion are stark. The value of these companies can eclipse the GDP of entire nations, and their output shapes our modern lives on a daily basis.
From facilitating the spread of disinformation, identity-based polarisations and anti-democratic narratives, digital companies have a unique ability to amplify divisions, but a lack of a coherent international approach to managing this risk persists. However, these platforms can also serve as powerful tools for positive change, enabling the mobilisation of collective action against injustice, as seen during the Arab Spring and the Black Lives Matter movement, while open-source intelligence has helped document human rights abuses and support accountability where traditional mechanisms fall short.
MPS’s members found that a multipolar world reveals an opportunity for the UK on the international stage through its work in multilateral institutions. In an era defined by unprecedented geopolitical dynamics and the shifting of historical alliances, the UK should use legal frameworks on human rights, rule of law, and atrocity prevention as a guiding light, and apply these consistently, even when politically difficult. Defending human rights and social cohesion at home and championing them abroad will open new avenues of trust with middle ground and small states, and retain the credibility of both the UK’s own position, and the legitimacy of the multilateral system more broadly.
As the gap between institutional representation and contemporary power realities widens, institutional reform is necessary to developing new partnerships with middle and rising powers, and make the multilateral system something they wish to preserve. The UK already supports an expanded United Nations Security Council, but turning this ambition to reality would be a significant step in making the world’s most comprehensive multilateral institution fit for contemporary geopolitical dynamics.
To learn more, read MPS’s submission to the International Relations and Defence Committee’s inquiry on Multilateralism.
Link here.
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