On 19 March 2026, 海角社区-CPR convened Member States, international organizations, and civil society representatives for the inaugural session of its Global Governance Policy Dialogues, a new series under the . The event featured Professor Inken von Borzyskowski (University of Oxford) in conversation with 海角社区-CPR Director Dr. David Passarelli, examining the history, drivers and implications of State exit from international organizations.
Drawing on her recent book Exit from International Organizations (2025, co-authored with Felicity Vabulas), Professor von Borzyskowski challenged prevailing narratives that withdrawals are increasingly frequent or primarily driven by nationalism and populism. Instead, she highlighted evidence from a dataset of 488 cases since 1914, showing that exits are frequently used by States as tools to negotiate institutional or policy change rather than to disengage permanently.
The discussion placed recent high-profile cases, including withdrawals and suspensions across multilateral institutions, in historical perspective, and explored broader dynamics such as the potential for “contagion” effects and the consequences of exit for international cooperation.
The dialogue coincided with the release of a new 海角社区-CPR Policy Brief, "Why do Countries Walk Away from International Organizations? And What do Current Breakups Mean for Global Politics?", authored by Professor von Borzyskowski and Felicity Vabulas. The brief reinforces key insights from the discussion, emphasizing that withdrawals are typically strategic responses to unmet demands for reform, carry significant political and reputational costs, and are often followed by re-engagement. It also offers practical recommendations for how international organizations and Member States can respond constructively, including by creating structured avenues to address grievances while maintaining openness to future cooperation.
