"A sense of impunity is now prevailing," Guterres said. "Our leverage is dramatically diminished" by the absence of a Security Council capable of enforcing accountability.
In a wide-ranging interview with the Financial Times, UN Secretary-General António Guterres declared that the era of superpowers dictating global outcomes through force is over, pointing to the US-Iran stalemate and Russia's invasion of Ukraine as stark evidence .
"It's time for superpowers to understand the limits of their power," Guterres stated from his UN headquarters office. "If you look at what happened in recent times, the capacity of superpowers to impose their will or their strength or their force in several situations has been severely limited" .
He cited Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine, which Moscow expected to last only days, and the US-Israeli war on Iran, where Washington hoped Tehran would capitulate quickly. Six months later, the Iranian regime is holding out and has closed the Strait of Hormuz .
Guterres described a world reshaped by the decline of US dominance, the rise of new powers, and the humbling lessons of "wars of choice" where Cold War superpowers failed to secure decisive victories . He warned that a more multipolar order could slide into confrontation unless global institutions adapt .
The Secretary-General acknowledged that the UN Security Council has been "practically paralyzed" by divisions among its veto-wielding members, with the US and Russia blocking action while pursuing their own agendas . The UN has also been sidelined in Sudan's civil war, where outside "spoilers" have exploited the Council's deadlock .
"A sense of impunity is now prevailing," Guterres said. "Our leverage is dramatically diminished" by the absence of a Security Council capable of enforcing accountability . However, he insisted the UN is not giving up on mediation, even if results are increasingly limited .
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