GENEVA: The United Nations has been planning for the possible return of Donald Trump and the cuts to US funding and engagement with world body that are likely to come with his second term as president.
\nThere was a sense of \u201cd\u00e9j\u00e0 vu and some trepidation\u201d at the 193-member world body, said one senior Asian diplomat, as Republican Trump won Tuesday\u2019s US election over Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris.
\n\u201cThere is also some hope that a transactional administration will engage the UN on some areas even if it were to defund some dossiers. After all, what bigger and better global stage is there than the United Nations?\u201d said the diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity.
\nA US retreat at the UN could open the door for China, which has been building its influence in global diplomacy.
\nTrump has offered few specifics about foreign policy in his second term but supporters say the force of his personality and his \u201cpeace through strength\u201d approach will help bend foreign leaders to his will. He has vowed to solve the war in Ukraine and is expected to give strong support to Israel in its conflicts with Hamas and Hezbollah in Gaza and southern Lebanon.
\nAmong the top concerns at the UN are whether the United States will decide to contribute less money to the world body and withdraw from key multinational institutions and agreements, including the world Heath Organization and the Paris climate agreement.
\nUS funding is the immediate worry. Washington is the UN\u2019s largest contributor \u2014 with China second \u2014 accounting for 22 percent of the core UN budget and 27 percent of the peacekeeping budget.
\nA country can be up to two years in arrears before facing the possible repercussion of losing its General Assembly vote.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
GENEVA: The United Nations has been planning for the possible return of Donald Trump and the cuts to US funding and engagement with world body that are likely to come with his second term as president. There was a sense of \u201cd\u00e9j\u00e0 vu and some trepidation\u201d at the 193-member world body, said one senior Asian […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":442400,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-442395","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n