Archive · 19 Jan 2026
US Withdrawal from Multilateralism Reshapes Global Power Dynamics
The United States is stepping back from global organizations and instead making deals with individual countries.
This change could make it harder for developing countries to get help and support.
For example, countries like Afghanistan and Bangladesh rely on these organizations for health and other services.
The US's move could also make it harder to fight climate change because it might push cheaper, dirtier technologies on these countries.
This could trap them in using old, polluting technologies for a long time.
The US's withdrawal also makes it harder for smaller countries to have a say in global decisions.
Some countries, like India, are trying to step up and help keep these global organizations strong.
But the US's actions could make the world less stable and more unfair.
The US is withdrawing from multilateral institutions and favoring bilateral treaties, which concentrates power and reduces accountability.
This shift could lead to conditionality, political pressure, and reduced autonomy for aid recipients in the Global South.
The withdrawal threatens funding and moral legitimacy for humanitarian programs, particularly in conflict-hit areas like Afghanistan.
The shift from multilateral climate action to bilateral energy deals could undermine global emission reduction efforts and lock developing economies into carbon-intensive pathways.
The US's disengagement from the India-France-led International Solar Alliance (ISA) weakens momentum and financing prospects for solar power in developing countries.
- Who
- The United States and its impact on global multilateral institutions and developing countries
- What
- The US withdrawal from multilateral institutions and its shift towards bilateral treaties
- When
- The transition is ongoing, with significant implications for the coming years
- Where
- Global South, including India, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, and small island states
- Why
- The US seeks greater control, visibility, and leverage through bilateral treaties, which can lead to conditionality, political pressure, and reduced autonomy for aid recipients
- Primary Category
- GOVERNMENT
- Secondary Category
- Foreign Policy
- Tertiary Category
- Multilateralism
- Quaternary Category
- US Withdrawal
- Impacted Regions
- Global South, including India, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, and small island states
- Key Institutions Affected
- UNFPA, World Health ecosystem, International Solar Alliance (ISA)
- Humanitarian Concerns
- Maternal health, reproductive rights, refugee welfare, demographic stability
- Climate Implications
- Shift from multilateral climate action to bilateral energy deals