This is a time when both professionalism and diplomatic professionalism are being questioned.
However, diplomacy extends to a number of areas and dimensions: presidential diplomacy, parliamentary diplomacy, military diplomacy, private diplomacy… Spin Doctors internationally, and in many cases there is a reversal of the historical functioning of the issue: Leaders stop being leaders and become followers. In this global and interdependent world, where it is important to understand and understand those who do not think like one in order to advance in global cooperation, the validity of the thoughts and actions of notable public figures that our country has produced such as Bernardo de Monteagudo, Mariano Moreno, Domingo F. Sarmiento, Juan B. Alberdi, Carlos Tejedor, Bernardo de Irigoyen, Norberto Quirino Costa, Estanislao Zeballos and Francisco, with great clarity P. Moreno, Carlos Calvo, Joaquín V. González, Luis María Drago, Roque Sáenz Peña, Ángel Gallardo, Honorio Pueyrredón, Carlos Saavedra Lamas, Carlos M. Muñiz.
With this horizon, the era of multilateralism in Argentine foreign policy was initiated when the Norwegian Committee awarded the Nobel Peace Prize to Carlos Saavedra Lamas, then Foreign Minister of Argentina, on November 25, 1936. Saavedra Lamas adopted the compass of a foreign policy based on the defense of peace, multilateralism and the peaceful settlement of disputes, preferring law, mediation and diplomacy to immediate resort to armed force. Aware of the interdependence of the international system He campaigned for the universalization of social, economic and labor rights.
When President Javier Milei’s government distanced itself from the United Nations’ Future Pact on September 22, 2024, this compass was abandoned and decades of noble Argentine diplomatic traditions were demagnetized. and we are facing the nadir of Argentine multilateralism.
The Argentine Republic, one of the 51 founding members of the United Nations, has always been active and responsible in the United Nations, contributing to the consolidation and expansion of the international architecture. Thus, starting in the 1950s, we took part in one of the most important processes of the century, decolonization, which incorporated dozens of new countries into the life of the international community, the human family, as expressed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Our country has contributed to the formation of the modern and important institutional and legal framework for the protection of human, economic and social rights, a commitment and an action that today has not only been abandoned on sensitive issues, But they are also part of our legal and constitutional corpus, such as the topics of gender, childhood, disability, discrimination, equality, among others.
Historically, Argentina has also made an important contribution to peacekeeping operations, almost since their inception. Their involvement dates back to 1958, when several military observers joined the UN observation group in Lebanon. Since then, around 40,000 Argentine men and women have taken part in around 35 UN peacekeeping missions.
Today we have one of the smallest participations in our history, to which was added last year the unilateral withdrawal of Argentine observers from the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). President Milei’s current foreign policy is based on a limited and selective orientation, no matter how friendly and important the countries are. makes it difficult to address the complex global problems of this time, Former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan well defined problems without a passport as a problem. Furthermore, this does not necessarily correspond to or defend national interests and values, as recent votes within the United Nations Organization show.
Another area of multilateral activism that has also been marginalized is the area of ecology and climate change. The Argentine government denies the anthropogenic dimension of the rise in global temperatures and distances itself from the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Kyoto Protocol as well as the Paris Agreement. Although the government attended the recent climate conference (COP 30) organized by the United Nations in Brazil, it sent an exclusively technical delegation. His political actions were limited and he did not participate in relevant decisions.
In this regard, the government withdrew in February this year announced the withdrawal of the World Health Organization.
Another break was the question of Palestine. Argentina recognized the State of Palestine as a “free and independent state” on December 6, 2010, within the framework of the 1967 borders. For this reason, we have a representative office in Ramallah, in the State of Palestine, and the State of Palestine has an accredited embassy in our country. However, the current government systematically votes against resolutions calling for a peaceful solution, respect for the rights of the Palestinian people and a two-state solution, both of which are recognized by Argentina.
In another exit on November 22, the Argentine government was among the countries that did not support the G-20 final declaration, which took place in South Africa, citing the red lines argument. Difficult argument to maintain In all multilateral negotiations, mutual concessions and mutual agreements usually prevail. This is what multilateral diplomacy is all about. And lastly Relationshipthere is always the reservation mechanism. Breaking up, leaving or separating are not sustainable practices and were not part of the Argentine diplomacy toolbox.
In this scenario, multilateralism – a negotiation and conflict resolution scheme based on concerted collective action – with its counterpart in the United Nations is even more relevant today than it was in 1945.
Multilateralism is a universal and humanistic field of action for building peace. By rejecting the 2030 Agenda on sovereignty grounds (ignoring that the United Nations is not a supranational government and that the 17 Sustainable Development Goals are indicative), the current Argentine government is marginalizing itself on the world stage.
In fact, these are the challenges of this century They can only be addressed through collaboration and partnership with as many like-minded countries as possible.
Alliances are formed to maximize the national interest, and the Republic cannot and should not be limited to one or two countries. Mercosur, the Latin American region, the European Union, Africa and Asia are all areas of convergence that, depending on the issue, strengthen the Republic’s interest to a greater or lesser extent. Multilateralism is not a corralito or corralón, it is the modern agora of cooperation and brotherhood between peoples.
But to achieve this, we must put aside the one-sided practices and teachings typical of past centuries that needlessly punish people and nations.
Given the dangers of identity fragmentation, we need to strengthen universal mechanisms.
Fundamentally, an alignment of moral leadership must be established based on the belief that global problems must be addressed through cooperative solutions in the multilateral sphere. Historically, Argentina has served as a bridge and promoted a very active multilateral diplomacy, which is now more necessary than ever to strengthen global governance in the face of an archaic and dysfunctional attempt to reestablish zones of influence.
The Argentine Republic must regain its responsible global activism according to its history, tradition and skills.
Ambassador, Member of the Nation’s Foreign Service.
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