How to Prevent the Next World War: A Conversation With Thant Myint-U

How to Prevent the Next World War: A Conversation With Thant Myint-U

From The Foreign Affairs Interview by Foreign Affairs Magazine

May 28, 2026 · 54 min

About this episode

Thant Myint-U discusses the role of the United Nations in preventing global conflict and the challenges it faces today.

The world today is more dangerous and more violent than it’s been at any time since 1945. States everywhere have jettisoned commitments to cooperation and opted for aggression. The so-called rules-based order seems to have come apart. Yet the international body founded after World War II with the charge of preventing World War III finds itself increasingly on the margins. In a recent essay in Foreign Affairs, the historian and former UN official Thant Myint-U considered what it would take for the United Nations to regain a meaningful role in preventing and managing global conflict. That question is particularly relevant as the UN begins the process of picking its next secretary-general. Deputy Editor Kanishk Tharoor spoke with Thant about the past and future of the United Nations, and about how the pillars of global peace can be reinforced before they collapse. You can find sources, transcripts, and more episodes of The Foreign Affairs Interview at https://www.foreignaffairs.com/podcasts/foreign-affairs-interview.

People in this episode

Host: Kanishk Tharoor

Guest: Thant Myint-U

Topics covered

  • global conflict
  • United Nations
  • world peace
  • international relations
  • aggression
  • rules-based order

Keywords

  • World War
  • United Nations
  • global conflict
  • international cooperation
  • peace
  • Thant Myint-U
  • Kanishk Tharoor

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: United Nations, Foreign Affairs

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