Just before retirement, Guterres warns: The world is heading to a dangerous place

UN Secretary-General António Guterres, in a comprehensive farewell interview with the Financial Times, warns of the collapse of the old world order and a slide into war in the absence of reform of international institutions. He criticizes Israel and the US regarding Iran and Gaza, acknowledges the paralysis of the UN Security Council due to the use of the veto by the US and Russia, and points to the rise of 'middle powers' like India and the Gulf states as a source of hope.

In a comprehensive farewell interview with the British newspaper the Financial Times, UN Secretary-General António Guterres describes a world in the midst of a reshaping, where American hegemony is waning and superpowers are learning the limits of their power. Guterres warns that the old world order is giving way to a complex multipolar reality, threatening to deteriorate into a frontal confrontation if international institutions do not undergo urgent adaptation. Regarding the Middle East, Guterres criticizes the 'Peace Council' established by US President Donald Trump to reach an agreement between Israel and Hamas, stating that it has completely failed. He admits that the UN Security Council remains 'completely paralyzed' due to the use of the veto power by the US and Russia to advance narrow interests, leaving the UN powerless even in arenas like the civil war in Sudan. Despite the difficulties, Guterres sees hope in the rise of 'middle powers' like India and the Gulf states, which are changing the global balance of power. He concludes with a historical warning: if institutions like the UN, the IMF, and the World Bank do not undergo comprehensive reform, the world could slide into chaos, recalling that Europe before World War I was multipolar but, lacking multilateral management institutions, the result was a world war.