Leaders to blame for global trust deficit and declining multilateralism

World leaders face growing mistrust and declining international cooperation. [AI-generated]

There is immense loss of trust everywhere emanating from the irresponsibility of those entrusted with power. The violations indicate breakdowns in trust and a sense of mutual dependence. They create a ‘government’ to ensure that all stick to the general agreement because there are always mischievous people who deliberately do the wrong thing. Serious problems arise when those who get into government are mischievous and not committed to being civil to everyone. Mischievous leaders have penetrated governments and organisations so much that people have lost trust in governments everywhere.

This general loss of trust was the subject of a United Nations symposium in Nairobi, dubbed ‘Trust Summit’. Participants were in anguish over how to restore the disappeared trust at the international and national levels. With media personality Julie Gichuru guiding the discussion, the main concern was overcoming devastating distrust at the country and global levels. Korir Singo’ei, Kenya’s Foreign Affairs Ministry PS, is developing into a diplomatic firefighter on many fronts, as he did during Kenya’s anti-Burundi xenophobic absurdity. He opened the symposium by admitting that there was a serious trust deficit everywhere. He had escorted the UN Deputy Secretary-General and Special Advisor for Africa, Ahuna Eziakwonkwa, to talk about ‘Rebuilding Trust, Renewing Multilateralism’.

Trust and multilateralism are in so much trouble at the global and country levels that they need rebuilding and renewing. The starting point, however, is problematic because those attempting to rebuild and renew hardly examine the roles of presidents and prime ministers in eroding trust and undermining multilateralism. Those leaders deliberately violate trust because of mischief, disdain, and the thrill of creating fear amongst people rather than trust.

Besides mischief-creating leaders, there are multiple challenges that need multi-state cooperation at a time of increased international suspicion and general loss of trust due to competing interests that need to be balanced. There are the competing interests of the big three: the United States (US), Russia, and China.  Suspicious of each other, they compete in the military, technology, and geopolitical leverage. The US and China compete on the economic, multilateral, and geopolitical fronts. Russia and the US compete in potential nuclear warfare. China projects itself as leader of the Global South instead of being a top ‘developed’ country. Russia seemingly reached an understanding with the US to divide Europe between Western Europe, which the US can dominate and Eurasia, to fall under the Russian sphere of geopolitical influence.

In addition, there is emerging big power rivalry with Middle Powers, mostly in the Conceptual West, that used to be ‘great’ but now appear like US vassals. They are scared and confused by US President Donald Trump, who has forced them to redefine the concept of enemy, not just the knee-jerk belief that Russia is always the enemy. In reaction to the seemingly informal US-Russian deal giving the West to the US and Eurasia to Russia, Middle Powers, led by Canada, are ganging up supposedly in self-defence. The Middle Powers are also suspicious of each other even as they seek solidarity of the Middle.

There is intense suspicion within the Global South, with competing leadership and policy direction interests. The emergence of leaders like Burkina Faso’s Ibrahim Traore and Namibia’s Ndemupelila Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah challenges entrenched leaders in the Global South. What is more, Africa suffers a special challenge of self-doubt that was colonially planted to perpetuate dependency on thinking and policymaking. This reality touches on the question of who interprets Africa and its interests. This is a continuing struggle between Africans and the master states. 

Those, like Ahuna and Sing’oei, trying to rebuild trust and renew multilateralism confront many challenges. At the top are ‘untouchable’ leaders who violate trust and create fear. Ahuna and Singoei need to confront ‘leaders’ of states and organisations before speculating on who else to blame for the increased distrust and declining multilateralism.