Merkel warns Trump against 'destroying' UN

E-Paper | October 02, 2026

Merkel warns Trump against 'destroying' UN

AFP Published September 30, 2018

German Chancellor Angela Merkel gives a speech at the Benedictine abbey in Ottobeuren, southern Germany. —AFP

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German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Sunday warned US President Donald Trump against “destroying” the United Nations.

“I believe that destroying something without having developed something new is extremely dangerous,” Merkel said at a regional election campaign event in Bavaria.

The veteran leader — a close ally of Trump's bugbear Barack Obama while he was president — added that she believed multilateralism was the solution to many of the world's problems.

Trump failed to see the possibility for win-win solutions, she said, instead seeing only one winner from any international negotiation.

Also read: Merkel-Trump G7 face-off photo headed for history books

In his second appearance before the UN's annual gathering last week, Trump told the General Assembly that he and his administration “reject the ideology of globalism, and we embrace the doctrine of patriotism”.

“Global governance” is a form of “coercion and domination” that “responsible nations must defend against”, he charged.

Merkel's opposing view to the US leader puts her in the same camp as UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, who warned before Trump took the podium in New York on Tuesday that “today, world order is increasingly chaotic”.

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Dr. Salaria, Aamir Ahmad

Sep 30, 2018 08:08pm

Great warning by the German Chancellor to the racist, unilateral and bigot Donald Trump. However, she must understand that unfortunately, in today's contemporary world we all are forced to live and operate, unfortunately, the centuries old jungle law of "might is right" prevails. Unluckily, Germany is militarily too weak and feeble to change the current barbaric world order.

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Sahmad

Sep 30, 2018 08:12pm

The real leader of free world.

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Aakif Siddiqui

Sep 30, 2018 08:24pm

She believed multilateralism was the solution to many of the world's problems. How stupid. Greed destroys entire continents. Those who are materialists cannot stop accumulating wealth at any cost. At the least her definition of materialism is in order.

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Suraj71

Sep 30, 2018 09:26pm

Well Trump can't have both money and allies He is losing friends at more faster pase than rise of dollar.

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Himmat

Sep 30, 2018 09:43pm

UN has outlived and ineffective in present form. So let it perish.

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wsyed

Sep 30, 2018 10:01pm

Russia is to blame for trump election. There is increasing evidence that Russia and FBI leader may have helped Trump getting elected, so he really does/should not have any mandate to change world or even American institutions.

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Zack Khan

Sep 30, 2018 10:27pm

its already done!

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Magnanimous approach

Sep 30, 2018 10:37pm

Every big power wants UN to serve it’s interest. That’s not happening. Germany is a leader and shining star among EU. Angela Merkel & Trump are far distant ends in thoughts. Merkel invited millions of refugees and people in distress, while Trump priorities are America First, the UN viability is at stake today when there’s a race of grabbing influence in regions in offing. China Russia today is in unison to lessen US influence in regions,so where stand the UN. A third huge super power can emerge in South Asia, that’s joint approach to regional interests by India-Pak in unison, the people have questions in mind,why should we take dictation from others, why can’t we form collective interest regime, by just freezing our bilateral irritants, and move forward to bigger goals. The tsunami of people pressure will absorb the irritants, and the magnificent common interests seen ahead be grabbed, by a new super power of S.Asians.

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Dawn

Sep 30, 2018 11:07pm

World’s problems are USA, Israel and their branch-Saudi.

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A. Mangal

Sep 30, 2018 11:15pm

When you have a club of elites, don’t you see how weaker nations get punished by the U.N. an offspring of League of Nations! Why can’t you solicit one nation and one vote should Germany professes to be the protector of bourgeois U.N. body where a foolish Veto has killed many humans, murdered many true peace’. Shame on UN charter!

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kamal

Sep 30, 2018 11:20pm

UN is a worthless organization. It doesn't matter if it ceased to exist.

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M. Saeed

Sep 30, 2018 11:20pm

Not only UN, Trump is destroying his US also and working overtime for it.

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Zak

Sep 30, 2018 11:39pm

Our FM said the same before all of these people.

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Philip John

Oct 01, 2018 02:02am

United Nations should really have been scrapped long ago. They are mega partial and have no right. Donald to stop all finances that they do not deserve.

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JA-Australia

Oct 01, 2018 03:59am

Nothing is permanent. The League of Nations became irrelevant when the post-WW2 global powers formed the United Nations to reflect the new world order. The UN, too, will go when the 21st century global powers form a replacement organization to give a veneer of legitimacy to their national agendas.

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Aman

Oct 01, 2018 04:28am

United nations is a useless institutions. It is a slave organization to few powerful countries

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Tamjeed Arshad

Oct 01, 2018 07:30am

Three cheers for chancellor Merkel.

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Abdul Gaffar jamal

Oct 01, 2018 07:51am

Right. Multilateralim in the shape of UN is a better option and theres evidence that bilataralim has not priduced any tangible result as in the case of Pakistan and India on disputed territory of IOK.

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Wahid

Oct 01, 2018 09:02am

I admire her sane voice and wisdom in international matters of huge concern to humanity whilst others lack the values that she holds dear; nationalism and patriotism are tools used to bring about isolationism,racism and bigotry whilst pursuing ultra motives to bring about conflict in other countries while shielding your own. Hypocrisy and double standards in international affairs have weakened the UN and hence calls for major reforms. UNSC must be reform to reflect liberal values rather than ‘diktat’ of its members.

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Oct 01, 2018 05:38pm

Trump told the General Assembly that he and his administration “reject the ideology of globalism, and we embrace the doctrine of patriotism”. Great. Pls focus on US and get the hell out of other countries’ business.

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