Institutions created to manage international cooperation after the Second World War are facing growing pressure from a more fragmented global order.
Organisations such as the United Nations, World Trade Organization and International Monetary Fund were designed for a world in which multilateral rules held broad legitimacy.
Today, geopolitical rivalry, economic nationalism and regional conflicts are making consensus harder to achieve.
Major powers increasingly compete through trade policy, technology restrictions and strategic alliances, sometimes bypassing traditional institutions altogether.
At the same time, global problems such as climate change, migration and financial instability still require international coordination.
This creates a paradox: cooperation is more necessary, but often more difficult.
Experts say global institutions are unlikely to disappear, but they may need significant reform to remain effective in a changing world.
The future international system may depend less on ideal visions of unity and more on pragmatic forms of cooperation among competing powers.
