What is Britain's approach to the global multilateral system?

In a speech addressing the 2023 London Conference at Chatham House, Britain's Foreign Secretary James Cleverly has articulated the government's commitment to a multilateral world order. In his words, the British government "cares deeply about multilateralism", something "we're deeply invested in".

Earlier this year, Foreign Office Minister Andrew Mitchell outlined Britain's approach to international development. Eluding to the importance of multilateralism, Mitchell articulated Britain's support for an "effective and ambitious rules-based international system", one which tackles global challenges.

The Foreign Secretary's speech on multilateralism comes at a time in international history when geopolitical competition, tensions and rivalries divide nation-states. Accordingly, Cleverly referred to the present era as one "of growing geopolitical and geo-economic rivalry".

This message is backed up by the Integrated Review Refresh 2023 (IR2023), a paper outlining Britain's foreign policy approach. Crucially, the paper updates the government's policy priorities in response to the pace at which "inter-state, 'systemic' competition over the nature of the international order" has developed.

One event reflecting the "multipolar, fragmented and contested world" we now live in is the ongoing war in Ukraine. In his speech, the Foreign Secretary stated that Russia's decision to invade Ukraine is an "assault on the UN Charter." He also described the invasion as an assault on "the central principles of an international order that was designed, above all, to bring an end to all attempts at conquest and annexation."

Arguably, Russia's decision to invade Ukraine highlights the fact that the central factor governing international order is the balance of power. In other words, not the multilateral institutions the Foreign Secretary implies. For example, Professor John Mearsheimer, a prominent scholar of international relations at the University of Chicago, has argued that "the United States and its European allies share most of the responsibility" for the war in Ukraine.

In Mearsheimer's view, post-cold-war NATO enlargement into eastern Europe has encroached upon Russia's sphere of influence "threatening its core strategic interests". This is a point that Putin has clearly made to the international community according to Mearsheimer. He explains that Foreign policy decision-makers in the West have failed to recognise this because they neglect the logic of realism, subscribing instead to a "flawed view of international politics" based on liberalism.

Putting aside the question of who bares responsibility for the war in Ukraine, increased geopolitical and geo-economic tensions come at a time when the international community faces unprecedented challenges. For example, the task of dealing with the climate crisis and managing the safe development of artificial intelligence. The failure of governments to cooperate on these issues could be disastrous for the future of human civilisation.

Therefore, these existential challenges underscore the importance of multilateral institutions in bringing states together to put aside their rivalries and tackle common challenges.

What is Multilateralism?

In international relations, multilateralism entails the pursuit of common goals by an alliance of three or more nation-states. In contrast, bilateralism refers to the interaction and cooperation of two states, and unilateralism is where a single state operates alone. Essentially, we can talk of multilateralism where the behaviour of a group of states operates through shared norms and rules. These can either be upheld informally between states, or through formal institutions and procedures (or both).

In his speech, the Foreign Secretary referred to "the first historic steps towards the creation of today's multilateral system" which took place back in June 1941, as "the representatives of 14 allied governments met in London." The 1941 meeting amongst allied powers produced the "Declaration of St James's Palace", a resolution which articulated a joint commitment to the war effort against Nazis Germany amongst the allied states, as well as the building of a peaceful international order where all can enjoy economic and social security.

The Foreign Secretary went on to highlight the creation of the United Nations (UN) Charter in San Francisco, in 1945, where an additional 36 nation-states "joined the original 14 in signing the Charter". Broadly speaking, the UN was created to preserve international peace and security and to bring states together to address common goals.

The post-World War Two international order also saw the establishment of the Bretton Woods system, whereby the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank and the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) worked to ensure cooperation within the international economy, avoiding the economic turmoil of the 1930s through free trade and fixed exchange rates. The GATT was later replaced by the World Trade Organisation (WTO) in 1995.

Britain and multilateralism

After describing the success of multilateralism in world politics over the last eight decades, Cleverly asserted that the survival of the global multilateral system is not "inevitable". Whilst stating that the idea of multilateralism does not need to be reinvented, the Foreign Secretary highlighted the need to reform the global multilateral system to keep it up to date in today's world.

More specifically, Cleverly explained that "a reformed and reinvigorated multilateralism system" is needed. One which brings together nations from around the world to deal with "global challenges" such as "migration, security, development, debt, protectionism, climate change, future pandemics, conflicts" and last, but not least, "humanitarian crises".

The Foreign Secretary referred to Britain's "obligation, to improve the effectiveness of the multilateral order." Therefore, by implication, a key part of Britain's role in the world is to reform the global multilateral order. That obligation derives from Britain's "privileged place" within "many multilateral institutions" he explained. For example, Britain is a member of the G7, the G20, the UN Security Council (UNSC), NATO, AUKUS and now the CPTPP. Britain also possesses dialogue partner status with ASEAN.

The elephant in the room here is the EU, which because of Brexit Britain can no longer influence from the inside. However, despite this, British foreign policy decision-makers do have the opportunity to influence the hearts and minds of governments around the world through involvement in a wide range of multilateral institutions, as highlighted above.

If you are a more of realist, you may be skeptical of this. Given that in material terms Britain is not great power (at least not compared to the likes of the United States and China), it is debatable to what extent Britain can play a significant role in the future of multilateralism globally. Ultimately the question is one of the extents to which a nation-state needs to possess hard power to influence the perspectives of foreign governments.

Cleverly's five 'transnational priorities'

In order to make the global multilateral system more effective, the Foreign Secretary explained the five transnational priorities that he seeks to pursue.

The first and perhaps the most significant of Cleverly's proposals is the reform of the UNSC. The objective of extending the permanent membership of the UNSC is articulated in the government's Integrated Review Refresh 2023 (IR2023), which states on page 13 the need for the multilateral system to "accommodate new realities". In other words, global politics has moved on since 1946 when the first UNSC session was held.

Cleverly stated that the UNSC should include India, Brazil, Germany and Japan, as well as "permanent African representation". Even Cleverly himself described this as a "bold reform", given that the UNSC has not increased its membership since 1965 when the number of non-permanent members increased from six to 10.

Secondly, Cleverly stated the need for "reform of the international financial institutions."
One of the biggest problems facing the international community when it comes to addressing the climate crisis and global poverty is sourcing money and investment. Moreover, finance for developing countries should be "easier and quicker to access," Cleverly explained.

The Foreign Secretary explained that multilateral development banks need "to sweat their existing assets harder and thus increase the amount of money they can lend". Multilateral development banks function to encourage economic development in less developed countries.

Again, the contents of IR2023 correspond to Cleverly's speech. IR2023 states the need to reform international financial institutions, including multilateral development banks and the IMF, to better assist developing countries in tackling challenges such as economic, debt, climate and natural crises.

Thirdly, Cleverly highlighted the importance of ensuring that "low and middle-income countries have sustainable public finances".

Earlier this year the International Development Committee published a report on debt in low-income countries. Crucially, the public finances of low-income countries face the pressures created by the impact of COVID-19, the war in Ukraine and global inflation.

As the report summary highlights, the costs of servicing debt prevent governments from investing in human development. For example, investment in healthcare, education and addressing the challenges of climate change. Therefore, Cleverly talked of the importance of "debt management capacity", through which developing countries can prevent debt from building up to unsustainable levels with "crippling rates of interest".

The Foreign Secretary's fourth priority is trade. According to Cleverly: "The WTO desperately needs new rules that reflect today's digital economy and not the world of 1995."

The WTO replaced the GATT in 1995. One key function of the WTO is to resolve trading disputes between nation-states. Whilst Cleverly acknowledged that the WTO and GATT have "stimulated steady growth in the world trade" that has driven "global prosperity", he stated the need for "a functioning dispute settlement mechanism" to address issues and disagreements on international trade.

Lastly, the global international order needs "a multilateral approach to managing artificial intelligence". The Foreign Secretary referred to the potential of artificial intelligence and quantum computing "to transform humankind's problem-solving capabilities".

Moreover, he explained: "We are standing at the edge of a gigantic technological leap forward in the relationship between man and machine."

Cleverly claimed that Britain is "championing a multilateral approach to managing Artificial Intelligence". For example, set to be chaired by the Foreign Secretary in New York next month, the UNSC will have its "first-ever meeting" on artificial intelligence. Cleverly also mentioned the AI Summit scheduled to be hosted by the Prime Minister in the autumn.