The US abstention at the UN is more than a diplomatic maneuver – it is a signal of systemic collapse. As the global policeman leaves his post, local demons awaken in Valencia, Utah, and Florida.
Diplomacy of Withdrawal. The loudest sound at the New York headquarters of the United Nations was not the applause following the adoption of the resolution, but the silence emanating from the American delegation's benches. The USA's decision to abstain from voting on the ceasefire in Ukraine represents a fundamental breach in the existing security architecture. The support of 107 countries for a cessation of hostilities, though hailed by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as a success, pales in comparison to the signal sent by Washington.
The American administration is revising its strategy, which in the language of diplomacy means a step back. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is attempting to bridge this emerging chasm by lobbying for continued United States engagement, but the burden of responsibility is shifting to Brussels. Ursula von der Leyen confirms the disbursement of loans but conditions them on the establishment of anti-corruption bodies, showing that trust in Kyiv is limited.
Since the annexation of Crimea in 2014, the UN has repeatedly adopted resolutions condemning Russia. Their real impact remained symbolic; however, a unified Western front, led by the USA, had until now been an inviolable diplomatic dogma.EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell puts the matter with brutal clarity: it is not treaties that will end this conflict. Europe is preparing for a long-term war of attrition, where the currency is not words, but logistics. „La guerra di Ucraina non finirà con un accordo di pace e dipenderà dal sostegno europeo di fronte al logorio.” (The war in Ukraine will not end with a peace agreement; it will depend on European support in the face of exhaustion.) — Josep BorrellErosion of Internal Trust. The withdrawal of a superpower from its role as a global guarantor goes hand in hand with the degeneration of trust in institutions within Western borders. The case of Austin Tucker Martin, who traveled 1,100 kilometers from North Carolina to Mar-a-Lago, is not a story about a madman, but about the collapse of state authority. The 21-year-old was radicalized after reading the so-called Epstein Files, concluding that the official justice system is dysfunctional.
The Secret Service effectively neutralized the threat, but the fact that an armed assailant motivated by conspiracy theories reaches the residence of a former president testifies to a deep social fracture. Donald Trump downplays the matter, claiming that only influential leaders are attacked, which only deepens polarization. Martin's family, describing him as a „good kid,” points to a rapid process of radicalization in an information vacuum.
1,100 km — Distance traveled by the attacker on the way to Mar-a-Lago
A similar mechanism of undermining institutions is visible in Spain. The Court in Valencia (Audiencia Provincial) had to intervene to bring former Vice President Mónica Oltra to trial. The Compromís party politician is accused of covering up her ex-husband's pedophilia, despite the fact that the investigating judge and the prosecutor's office twice sought to dismiss the case. A system that should protect victims has been harnessed to protect the image of those in power.Procedural Inertia. In the face of chaos, courts are becoming the last bastion, clinging desperately to procedures. In the state of Utah, Judge Tony Graf rejected a motion to disqualify the prosecution from the Charlie Kirk murder case. The defense of Tyler James Robinson suggested a conflict of interest, but the judge chose the stability of the trial over procedural doubts. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty, showing that state law enforcement agencies still possess the ultimate tools of coercion.
Even nature seems to be testing the capacity of control systems. A fin whale (balenottera) appeared in the port of Naples, paralyzing ferry traffic. The Guardia Costiera and scientists from the Anton Dohrn Zoological Station are monitoring the mammal, suspending trips to Capri and Ischia. This is a metaphor for the current geopolitical situation: a large, disoriented object in a closed system that no one knows how to safely lead out.
One could argue that institutions are still functioning: the Secret Service shot the attacker, the court in Valencia forced a trial, and the UN is still voting. However, this is a false impression of efficiency. These are reactive actions, extinguishing fires in a system that has lost the capacity for prevention and for creating order. The USA abstaining is not neutrality; it is an abdication of the role of architect of order.
We live in a time when Washington is silent, and local courts and services must clean up the mess. If Josep Borrell is right and a war of attrition awaits us, it is primarily the resources of social trust that are being exhausted. The whale in the port will eventually swim away, but the vacuum left by American leadership will be filled by chaos.