Populists at the United Nations
paper
The policy paper explores how governments led by anti-elite or people-centred political movements approach multilateral cooperation within the United Nations, with particular attention to the links between domestic political agendas and international engagement. Prof. Sandra Destradi from University of Freiburg examines how such governments engage with the United Nations and its core norms. The paper is part of the The International Dimensions and Effects of Populism (IDEoPOP) project.
In recent years, the growing presence of political actors critical of established institutions and elites in national governments has increasingly shaped debates on international cooperation and the functioning of multilateral institutions. Drawing on a systematic analysis of voting behaviour in the UN General Assembly over several decades, the paper situates these foreign policy approaches within broader debates on the liberal international order and the evolving dynamics of global governance. Rather than treating these political developments as uniform or inherently disruptive, the analysis highlights variation across political contexts and ideological orientations, and examines how such actors operate within existing institutional frameworks. The findings point to important implications for multilateral diplomacy and international cooperation, suggesting that current political trends may be reshaping established practices from within rather than fundamentally rejecting them.
Read the full policy paper for an in-depth analysis of how these political developments affect multilateral institutions.