US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Wednesday that the world currently lacks an effective enough international mechanism to handle major conflicts. He pointed to tensions between Thailand and Cambodia, the possibility of renewed conflict between India and Pakistan, and continuing crises in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Sudan and Rwanda.
Speaking to reporters in New York, Rubio said it would be beneficial to have a functioning international system capable of addressing such disputes. However, he argued that the existing global order had moved away from what he considered its original purpose.
Rubio said the US recognises the importance of the international system and believes institutions such as the United Nations have considerable potential. At the same time, he said these institutions were failing to realise that potential and had expanded into areas beyond their intended responsibilities.
“We see the utility in the international system. We're here... I think the President has said that the United Nations, for example, has tremendous potential, but it's not living up to it,” Rubio said.
According to Rubio, several leaders attending the high-level UN General Assembly session had expressed the view that the international system was not working effectively. He said the system needed to return to what he described as its appropriate purpose and responsibilities.
He argued that the system was failing because it had expanded beyond its original mandate and become involved in matters outside its intended scope, while remaining unable to resolve many of the world's major conflicts.
Referring to recent and possible regional confrontations, Rubio said a properly functioning international framework could potentially help address disputes such as the fighting between Thailand and Cambodia and possible tensions between India and Pakistan.
He said the international system had become ineffective because of its own expansion and needed to be refocused on its original role. In his view, a functional global mechanism could have helped deal with the Thailand-Cambodia conflict or a potential India-Pakistan confrontation, but such a system does not currently appear to exist.
Rubio also made clear that, in the absence of an effective international framework, the US would continue to put its national interests first.
He said that, at least while Donald Trump remains president, Washington would act in the interests of the United States rather than prioritising the interests of the broader international order. He stressed that the US would not place the international system above its own national interests.
Rubio's comments came a day after US President Donald Trump once again claimed that he had played a role in resolving the India-Pakistan conflict last year.
India, however, has consistently maintained that the cessation of hostilities was reached through direct communication between the Directors General of Military Operations of India and Pakistan, without intervention by a third party.
Rubio's comments have once again drawn attention to the ongoing debate over the effectiveness and role of international institutions in resolving global conflicts.
India is expected to continue maintaining that the understanding reached in May 2025 followed direct military-to-military discussions between India and Pakistan.
