The View | Multilateralism under fire as US pushes world bodies to take sides in Ukraine war
- International organisations must be free to adhere to their founding missions, ensuring that only economic considerations influence their decisions
- Bullying those who disagree with the US or refuse to take sides is wrong and threatens to poison the heart of multilateralism
At the International Monetary Fund, the US, Britain and Canada moved to suspend the ceremonial role of dean, held by Russian representative Aleksei Mozhin. This successfully served as a token punishment of Russia, but more importantly risks jeopardising the integrity of the organisation.
The US has sought to strip Russia of the opportunity to convert its US$17 billion in special drawing rights – a form of reserve asset issued by the IMF – to hard currencies, a legitimate right of any IMF member state under the organisation’s charter.
Washington has also led a sustained push to remove “most-favoured nation” status for Russia at the World Trade Organization, the bedrock of the world trading system. It has done so by citing the WTO’s national security clause, which is difficult to prove and applies only when members’ own national security is threatened.
Some in the US Congress have even proposed moves to suspend Russia’s WTO membership. This might not be lawful, as the WTO rules appear silent on membership suspension.
