Below is an interview with an MNA reporter with international affairs expert Yahya Harb.
What are the key factors that have led many countries to doubt the reliability of the US in international negotiations regarding repeated withdrawals from important agreements such as the Paris Agreement and the JCPOA?
“The Enemy of Treaty” is a title that can be given to Donald Trump during his first term as President of the United States from 2016 to 2020.
Trump implemented a series of withdrawals from international and bilateral agreements that began with the US exit from the Paris Climate Agreement in June 2017. In October of the same year, the United States also withdrew from UNESCO, the United Nations cultural organisation.
In May 2018, Trump unilaterally decided to withdraw from Iran’s nuclear deal (JCPOA), despite the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) confirming compliance with the Iranian agreement.
In June 2018, Trump announced the US withdrawal from the UN Human Rights Council. On October 3rd of the same year, the United States withdrew from the optional protocols on conflict settlement to the Vienna Convention.
Another major withdrawal occurred in February 2019 when the US left the Middle Range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty. In April of the same year, the United States also withdrew from the United Nations Arms Trade Treaty and imposed restrictions on the sale of arms to war criminals.
One of Trump’s most controversial decisions during his first term was his withdrawal from the World Health Organization (WHO) in July 2020.
Since returning to the White House on January 20, 2025, Trump has taken several steps, leading to the US withdrawal from international organizations and the suspension of major financial aid programs. Among these actions was the new withdrawal of the United States from the WHO, the Human Rights Council, the UNRWA (UN Relief and Labor Bureau), and the International Development Agency.
These actions disrupt the global order, undermined the credibility of international organizations, and angered US allies even more than their enemies. The main reason for this complaint is that Trump took these steps without consulting with our allies or considering historic relationship with them.
This has led the whole world to view American policy as shocking and concerning, as confusing and racist.
How can the United States withdraw from international organizations such as agreements such as WHO or INF treaties? How will these actions affect our global trust in the United States as a negotiating partner?
Trump’s major decisions on withdrawing from international organizations and organizations are driven by several important motivations.
Economy: The US spends too much on funding these institutions, but other countries claim they will benefit disproportionately. Washington is seeking increased financial contributions from other countries. Politics: Allegations against some agencies, such as accusations of anti-Semitism and anti-Israel activities, play an important role. This includes sanctions imposed on organizations such as UNESCO and UNRWA, as well as on International Criminal Courts. Claims of corruption or inefficiency: The US has accused organizations such as the World Trade Organization (WTO) of being inefficient. Washington threatens to leave the WTO, but it hasn’t continued yet.
One of the most important drivers behind our actions is the unwavering support for Israel, which has sparked widespread public outrage. The United States is denounced several unrelated biased organisations, while fully supporting Israel, a nation established and maintained under American and Western influence. The shocking and hateful aspect of this policy is that the US believes that international organizations should not only support Israel, but should justify its crimes and violations.
For decades, the US has prioritized benefits to global concerns. But now, regardless of the established protocols of international organizations, they do so at the expense of their closest allies.
Do you think the repeated withdrawal of the US international treaty will drive its foreign policy towards further isolation, or is this just a negotiation tactic? How should other governments respond to this approach?
The critical features of US foreign policy are the unilateral pursuit of hegemony and the exploitation of international law that serves its own interests and wage war against its global competitors and enemies. Discussions about American isolationism and extreme nationalism are often merely slogans designed to manipulate domestic public opinion, promoting fears of civil or global conflict to create political power. It’s about integrating.
However, the US cannot be completely separate from the world as the government is made up of powerful companies that fundamentally plunder the resources of various countries and bind the economy to America’s bloated financial system. In this sense, quarantine means the collapse of the United States itself.
Without American intervention, the world will definitely be much better. The Zionist-led imperialist policy of the United States is responsible for more than 90% of global crises, wars and conflicts. Trump’s self-righteous rog arrogance, shaped by a variety of factors, led him to act in which, although he appears reckless and adventurous, in his own opinion, is justified.
The only factor that can restrain Trump’s reckless policies is his ability for other global forces to resist him and challenge his criminal approach. But the silence and withdrawal in the face of this dangerous wave will only spark the United States and further strengthen its advantage.
What guarantees that the US withdraws from numerous international treaties will ensure future negotiations are followed, particularly on important issues such as nuclear disarmament and climate change?
In my opinion, this issue has become a general policy not only for Trump and his right administration, but for the US government, so there is no strong assurance that Washington will honor bilateral or international agreements.
For example, former President Joe Biden failed to bring the United States back to Iran’s nuclear deal, but it became a key election promise to restore America’s respect for international treaties. Over the past two years, Biden’s actions to undermine and stand by the sidelines of international organizations have been even worse than Trump’s facilities.
In reality, the United States is the world’s largest fraudulent nation, and its financial strength and control over the international community allowed it to act with immunity.
Given this broad doubt about US credibility, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, leader of the Islamic Revolution, recently said that negotiations with the US are wise or rational, but such negotiations are in Iran’s He emphasized that he would never solve the problem.
This perspective is the European and Arab world, as many of the US-lined governments in the region have come to realize that Washington has abandoned all of its commitments on the Palestinian issue and is in perfect alignment with Israeli policies. It’s gaining more and more momentum. It contradicts the security and interests of America’s so-called regional allies.
MNA/6376045