US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said the current international system is struggling to deal with major conflicts around the world, including tensions involving India and Pakistan. Speaking to reporters in New York on Wednesday during the United Nations General Assembly, Rubio said the world needs a stronger and more effective system to respond to wars and international crises. He pointed to the conflict between Thailand and Cambodia, tensions between India and Pakistan, violence involving the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda, the war in Sudan and the situation involving Iran and the strategic waterways.
Rubio said international institutions were not currently able to deal effectively with such crises. He also argued that the international system had moved beyond what he described as its original purpose. “The international system is not in good shape right now…it would be great if we had a functional international system, for example, that could deal with a war between Thailand and Cambodia that occurred or the potential conflict between India and Pakistan or what’s going on in the DRC in Rwanda or what’s going on in Sudan or what’s going on with Iran in the straits.”
According to Rubio, several leaders attending the UN meetings had raised similar concerns. He said international institutions had taken on too many responsibilities but were still unable to resolve some of the world’s biggest conflicts.
“Right now, we don’t seem to have a functional international system that can address it. And in the absence of that, nation-states will act in their national interest… We will never put the international order above the interest of the United States,” he said.
Rubio also made it clear that Washington would continue to put US national interests first. He said the United States would use the international system when it was useful, but would not place the wider international order above American interests.
“I think multiple leaders…pointed to the fact that the international system is failing, and it’s failing because it has grown beyond its mandate. It has grown beyond its intent. It’s involved in all kinds of things that it shouldn’t be involved in, and it’s unable to solve virtually any major conflict in the world,” he said.
His comments came as world leaders gathered in New York for the UN General Assembly amid several ongoing conflicts and diplomatic crises. The annual meeting this year has focused heavily on wars, security concerns and the ability of international institutions to respond to global emergencies.
Rubio mentions India-Pakistan tensions
Rubio’s reference to India and Pakistan comes more than a year after the two countries were involved in a serious military escalation following the April 22, 2025, terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir. The attack killed 26 people.
India responded by launching Operation Sindoor in May 2025. The Indian government said the operation targeted terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir. India described the action as targeted and aimed at terror facilities linked to attacks against the country.
The fighting stopped on May 10, 2025, following an understanding between the two sides. India has repeatedly maintained that the cessation of military action was reached directly between India and Pakistan.
India rejected US mediation claims
The 2025 conflict also led to repeated claims by US President Donald Trump that he had helped bring India and Pakistan back from a wider war.
New Delhi has consistently rejected the suggestion that a third country brokered the understanding. India has maintained that its military action and the subsequent cessation were handled through direct India-Pakistan channels.
The issue remains sensitive because India has traditionally opposed third-party mediation on bilateral matters with Pakistan. The 1972 Simla Agreement also states that India and Pakistan would seek to settle their differences through bilateral negotiations or other peaceful means mutually agreed upon by both sides.
(With agency inputs)
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