The Era of International Cooperation in Peril
There was a time when the world believed in the strength of multilateralism. The IPCC scientists, climate conferences, international agreements such as the Paris Accord in 2015, and UN agencies embodied this faith in collective reason. These institutions, imperfect but necessary, made it possible to envision lasting solutions. Yet today, they are being weakened by those who should be defending them.
Putin, by invading Ukraine, has trampled international law and the sovereignty of a state; he denies the very reality of this country in his desire to rebuild a great autocratic Russia. On the other side of the Atlantic, Trump has set the United States on an equally troubling path: withdrawal from the Paris Agreement, abandonment of 64 international organizations, dismantling of USAID — the agency that helped countries of the Global South develop — and a dizzying increase in the military budget, from 1,000 to 1,500 billion dollars. These decisions are not isolated acts; they reveal a single logic: that of hubris, where short‑term thinking and narrow national interest take precedence over the common good.
Europe Is Not Spared
The virus of hubris is spreading across the Old Continent as well. Far‑right parties, fueled by simplistic and identity‑based rhetoric, are gaining ground everywhere in Europe. In France, the next presidential elections could mark the end of decades of liberal democracy if vigilance falters. These movements, by rejecting European and international cooperation, denying scientific realities, and stoking fear, threaten to plunge the continent into chaos.
How to Resist?
Faced with this drift, how can we restore the power of reason? First, by tirelessly reminding everyone that global challenges will only be solved through global responses. Citizens must demand that their leaders strengthen international institutions rather than weaken them. Next, by supporting independent media, scientists, civil society organizations and local governments that fight every day to make the voice of reason heard. Finally, by voting massively against parties that promote withdrawal and division. The upcoming municipal elections will be decisive in this regard.
Hubris — this illusion of omnipotence — has always led civilizations to their downfall. Today, it threatens humanity as a whole. But history has also taught us that reason, when given the means, always ends up prevailing. It is up to us to give it that opportunity, right where we are: in our neighborhood, our city, our region, through our relationships and our commitments.
Dominique Bénard.
