The Cost of US Withdrawal From 66 International Organizations, Conventions, and Treaties

"But that memorandum, inconspicuous though it may appear on its face, demands careful consideration. It reflects not just another step in the Trump administration's "Great Undoing" of the postwar international order, but also risks serious and material injury to America's economic and national security interests. While the memorandum claims its actions will help to "restore American sovereignty," it will do just the opposite."

"Consider a few examples. First, the impending US withdrawal from the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. This landmark treaty was negotiated and signed by the George H.W. Bush administration in 1992 and unanimously approved by the Senate soon thereafter. Presidents have long claimed the unilateral power to withdraw from Senate-ratified treaties like this one, while many in the Senate disagree, arguing that"

"The withdrawals (some still to be carried out) risk tangible harm to US interests, from household economic issues like increased energy costs and insurance premiums to national security concerns like counterterrorism and cybersecurity, to public health and the environment. While it will be difficult to ascribe any single outcome directly to any specific withdrawal, this much is clear: Multilateral engagement allows the United States to exert leadership over the rules that shape the world,"

A presidential memorandum dated January 7, 2026 announces withdrawal of the United States from 66 international organizations, conventions, and treaties. The memorandum claims restoration of American sovereignty, but the withdrawals threaten economic, security, public-health, and environmental interests. Potential harms include increased household energy costs and insurance premiums, weakened counterterrorism and cybersecurity cooperation, and degraded public health and environmental protections. Multilateral engagement permits the United States to shape international rules and exert leadership; withdrawing forfeits influence and creates vacuums that adversaries can fill. The impending UN Framework Convention on Climate Change withdrawal raises disputes over unilateral presidential withdrawal from Senate-ratified treaties.

Read at The Nation