As part of his “America First” agenda, President Donald Trump has announced plans to withdraw from a large number of agencies and international organizations. On January 8th, the President issued a statement announcing the country’s intention to withdraw from a number of organizations, namely those he believes are either uncooperative or do not serve U.S. taxpayers.
The president is attempting to save U.S. taxpayer dollars
The White House stated that the President is taking decisive action to ensure that U.S. taxpayer money is protected. Some well-known organizations that have historically received support include:
- World Health Organization (WHO)
- United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
- International Labor Organization (ILO)
The U.S. claims it will withdraw from nearly 30 international organizations globally.
Trump and his cabinet believe multinational organizations create policies that harm the U.S. and help other countries, particularly China.
Sovereignty is at the heart of the U.S. withdrawal diplomacy
President Trump believes the U.S. needs to withdraw from multinational organizations and cease funding them to protect U.S. sovereignty and to promote U.S. domestic programs and bilateral relationships that advance U.S. national security objectives.
President Trump said;
For too long, the United States has been footing the bill for organizations that do not serve our interests.”
How and where the U.S. spends its tax dollars is strategic, and the U.S. will spend tax dollars on America through bilateral agreements and partners that assist the U.S. in achieving its strategic objectives. Because of its withdrawal from multilateral organizations and its withdrawal from U.S. strategic partnerships, the world’s superpower status has shifted away from the U.S. and toward a non-superpower status.
External reactions: What the world is saying about the U.S. exit
This decision has received harsh criticism from world leaders. World leaders appreciate working together with the U.S. to solve global challenges such as public health issues, climate, and workers’ rights. Al Jazeera states that the U.S. diplomatic corps fears that the U.S. withdrawal from these organizations will result in the U.S. relinquishing global leadership to China and Russia.
What problems must the U.S. resolve when exiting organizations
Many experts agree that the U.S. will suffer damage to the future of global governance as a result of its withdrawal from the organizations. For instance, the WHO is essential for coordinating a global response to pandemics, and UNESCO is important for advancing global educational and cultural developments.
Without the U.S. participating in these organizations, the international community will face obstacles in developing collaborative solutions to many of the global challenges, and the U.S. will be unable to construct the type of global order it wants to see established.
Although Trump’s base will appreciate the U.S. withdrawal from international agreements, as their desire for the U.S. to participate in fewer international agreements is being fulfilled, the U.S. will need to deal with the numerous technical and logistical hurdles created by the U.S. withdrawal from the organizations. Some of the hurdles may include lengthy negotiations with the organizations to determine the U.S. obligation to continue paying for the organizations and the formal notice requirements that the U.S. must fulfill before officially withdrawing from the organizations.
Much of this will depend upon what happens during the next few months
The U.S. will receive reactions from a variety of countries, and the operation of various global coalitions will also be impacted. The U.S. will begin the process of withdrawing from the global coalitions, and this will undoubtedly take some time; however, this is an initial step towards the U.S. withdrawal from the global community. Although America’s global presence is currently less significant than that of most countries, it will represent a fundamental shift in America’s standing within the global community.
