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It's world full of multilateral agreements: World Trade Organization, United Nations, Bern copyrights, Paris Agreement on climate, Geneva Conventions, nuclear n

It's world full of multilateral agreements: World Trade Organization, United Nations, Bern copyrights, Paris Agreement on climate, Geneva Conventions, nuclear non-proliferation treaty, Antarctic treaty, etc.

philwelch 7y ago
So how are those multilateral agreements doing, anyway? The Geneva Conventions are an admirable code of conduct, but they don't in any meaningful way define international relations, since at least one belligerent in virtually every armed conflict since and including the Second World War has flagrantly flouted them. Countries that are decent enough to follow the Geneva Conventions don't get into wars with each other anyway. The Berne Convention similarly doesn't deter developing countries that pirate IP and shrug it off. How did the UN work out in Rwanda? Why is it that the UN Human Rights Council typically contains most of the worst human rights abusers in the world? The UN can be a useful tool for addressing certain situations, but that typically only happens when someone--usually the US--makes a concerted effort of forcing the issue, as one of our most underrated presidents did in 1990 when Iraq invaded Kuwait. Left on its own devices, it doesn't work. The rest of the stuff likewise relies upon the US to make it work. The Paris Agreement is fundamentally untenable now that the US has withdrawn; not only does the US produce a lot of greenhouse gas emissions, but they also provide the needed economic counterweight to push other non-compliant countries like China into compliance. And I don't think the Paris Agreement is the only instance of this.
- incompatible 7y ago
  Not to mention the WTO taking serious damage with the US imposing trade sanctions whenever if feels like it. It's not impossible that the entire system would fall apart if the current US hostility turns out to be more than a four year aberration. I wouldn't be sad to see the Berne Convention go, at least, but I'm not sure what state the world will be in by that point.
hurricanetc 7y ago
The Paris Agreement proves OP’s point. The US left the agreement and now the agreement is worthless. Who is going to bully China into compliance? If the rest of the countries meet their climate targets does it doesn’t even matter. Pebble in a lake.
- AsyncAwait 7y ago
  How about the Iran deal? The US needs to be bullied into compliance and yet noone is up to the task.
AsyncAwait 7y ago
Except the U.S. does not recognize the ICC and has a law to invade the Netherlands at will, were any of its numerous war criminals ever prosecuted.

philwelch 7y ago

So how are those multilateral agreements doing, anyway? The Geneva Conventions are an admirable code of conduct, but they don't in any meaningful way define international relations, since at least one belligerent in virtually every armed conflict since and including the Second World War has flagrantly flouted them. Countries that are decent enough to follow the Geneva Conventions don't get into wars with each other anyway. The Berne Convention similarly doesn't deter developing countries that pirate IP and shrug it off. How did the UN work out in Rwanda? Why is it that the UN Human Rights Council typically contains most of the worst human rights abusers in the world? The UN can be a useful tool for addressing certain situations, but that typically only happens when someone--usually the US--makes a concerted effort of forcing the issue, as one of our most underrated presidents did in 1990 when Iraq invaded Kuwait. Left on its own devices, it doesn't work. The rest of the stuff likewise relies upon the US to make it work. The Paris Agreement is fundamentally untenable now that the US has withdrawn; not only does the US produce a lot of greenhouse gas emissions, but they also provide the needed economic counterweight to push other non-compliant countries like China into compliance. And I don't think the Paris Agreement is the only instance of this.

incompatible 7y ago
Not to mention the WTO taking serious damage with the US imposing trade sanctions whenever if feels like it. It's not impossible that the entire system would fall apart if the current US hostility turns out to be more than a four year aberration. I wouldn't be sad to see the Berne Convention go, at least, but I'm not sure what state the world will be in by that point.

hurricanetc 7y ago

The Paris Agreement proves OP’s point. The US left the agreement and now the agreement is worthless. Who is going to bully China into compliance? If the rest of the countries meet their climate targets does it doesn’t even matter. Pebble in a lake.

AsyncAwait 7y ago
How about the Iran deal? The US needs to be bullied into compliance and yet noone is up to the task.

AsyncAwait 7y ago

Except the U.S. does not recognize the ICC and has a law to invade the Netherlands at will, were any of its numerous war criminals ever prosecuted.