Trump, the Troubling Indicator of International Geneva’s Dependence on US Funding

The threats posed by the 47th U.S. president to Geneva’s international ecosystem highlight an often forgotten fact: The city at the end of Lake Geneva reflects an international order established by Westerners under the aegis of the United States.

The advent of the second Trump administration is a fundamental upheaval of American democracy. While it is likely to tip the latter into illiberalism, it will also powerfully shake up international Geneva. In 2016, the Republican’s victory in the presidential election caught the billionaire a little off guard. His administration slammed the door on the Human Rights Council, deeming it too “anti-Israeli.” The collateral effects for the city of Calvin were limited. This time, however, we are entering another dimension. The announcement of the American withdrawal from the World Health Organization, of which the U.S. is the largest donor, will have violent repercussions on the ecosystem of global health, which represents 48% of international Geneva. Overall, Washington finances international Geneva to the tune of 26%, across all organizations combined.

Multilateralism is going through a serious crisis. The values ​​it promotes are the opposite of those that Donald Trump seems to defend. The latter does not think in terms of the common good and compromise. He sees the world as a zero-sum game, defends his interests and incidentally those of America. But regional or plurilateral alliances horrify him. The World Trade Organization, whose days may be numbered, embodies everything that the 47th president abhors: finding common ground between member states for less conflicting international trade.

Unsurprising Wake-Up Call

If the United States were not so involved at the end of Lake Geneva, we could grit our teeth for four years. However, this dependence on international Geneva forces introspection. Because if the WHO trembles when faced with Trump, other international organizations fear him even more. Washington assumes more than 40% of the budget of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Geneva’s vulnerability is obvious.

This dependence may come as a surprise. But it is part of the DNA of international Geneva, whose rise really began with the creation of the League of Nations under the leadership of President Woodrow Wilson, then by that of the U.N. The Geneva ecosystem is the manifestation of the “American Century” and an international order established in the aftermath of 1945 under the aegis of the United States. It is therefore not surprising that Trump is causing a rude wake-up call.

The great challenge for international Geneva will be to broaden its donor base, to open up sufficiently to become a global hub, without denying the liberal values ​​that have always shaped it. And above all, to remain relevant on the international scene.