Implications of the 2016 United States of America Presidential Election on the United Nations System (PDF)

Essay from the year 2016 in the subject Politics - Topic: International Organisations, Geneva School of Diplomacy, course: Masters, language: English, abstract: The United Nations is notorious for its stringent modalities. Many critics argue that the UN is an inefficient, inflexible, costly and corrupt bureaucratic body that will be plagued with its short comings for as long as politics exist.

In 2016 the world experienced many unpredicted events, Brexit, the failed plebiscite in Colombia, impeachment of South Korean President inter alia. These events all seem connected by the populous retaliating against the elites, their failures or an outright loss of faith in institution.

The 2016 United States Presidential Elections were no different; shocking the world over. Bilateral relationships are projected to falter; Mexico for example has no intention of building its own prison, or strengthen; Russian leader Vladimir Putin has expressed his willingness to cooperate with the billionaire president elect. Multilateral agreements such as the TPP are set to crumble. The Human Rights of Women, Immigrants and detainees will no longer be staples of the leader of the free world, prompting other nations to follow suit of indifference. Will this tectonic shift in the hegemons domestic politics rattle the United Nations?

This paper will begin with a brief description of the US Election; expanding on why many fear the succeeding US incumbent and the influence that the US president has on foreign policy. Subsequently, a description of the UN system will give insight into its structure and debilities, each prong of the system will then be analysed in light of how its will be affected by the US 2016 Election. Will this event have any effect at all or will it be 'business as usual' in the realm of international affairs? Does it take a bull in a china shop to catalyse institutional UN reform?