The UN’s Withering Vine: A US Retreat from Global Governance By Jordan Ryan Copyright © 2026 IPS-Inter Press Service.

https://www.ipsnews.net/2026/01/the-uns-withering-vine-a-us-retreat-from-global-governance/ Jan 19 2026 (IPS) - The Trump administration’s recent announcement of its withdrawal from 66 international organisations has been met with a mixture of alarm and applause. While the headline number suggests a dramatic retreat from the world stage, a closer look reveals a more nuanced, and perhaps more insidious, strategy. The move is less a wholesale abandonment of the United Nations system and more a targeted pruning of the multilateral vine, aimed at withering specific branches of global cooperation that the administration deems contrary to its interests. While the immediate financial impact may be less than feared, the long-term consequences for the UN and the rules-based international order are profound. Copyright © 2026 IPS-Inter Press Service.