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Zombies are running the international system

The fall of the League of Nations – the zombie of the 1930s – is a warning for current institutions like the UN, NATO and WTO.

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The United Nations has been hobbled by the veto-wielding exercised by the great powers of its Security Council, says the writer.

The United Nations has been hobbled by the veto wielding exercised by the great powers of its Security Council, says the writer.

PHOTO: REUTERS

Andreas Kluth

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A worrisome parallel between the 1930s and the 2020s is that in both decades, the multilateral institutions of the international system resemble the walking dead.

Today, that applies to defensives alliances such as NATO as well as the bodies that regulate trade (the World Trade Organization), limit nuclear proliferation (a treaty abbreviated as NPT) and prosecute war crimes (the International Criminal Court). And, of course, it fits the United Nations, which is meant to guarantee the sovereignty of all member states and to prevent war.

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