American Planning for the Post WWII System of Global Governance: The Case of the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration (UNRRA)

Can multilateralism function without a hegemonic state?

American policymakers during the Second World War believed that to be impossible, yet they also understood that hegemony erodes the legitimacy of a multilateral system. During FDR’s term, decision-makers in Washington struggled with this paradox as they tried to erect an international system led by the United States.

The answer to this dilemma emerged during planning discussions for a relief agency that would serve as an experiment for the postwar system of global governance. With that system presently in a state of flux and disarray, speaker Charles Sharpe brings us back to 1942 discussions in the American Government that led to the creation of the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration (UNRRA). Those deliberations not only tell us much about how the Americans envisioned the postwar international system; they provide us with context and ideas that can help us think about Donald Trump’s retreat from that system.

Charles W. Sharpe

Charles Sharpe is a professor of history and international affairs at the Royal Military College, St-Jean, where he teaches courses on foreign policy, diplomacy, and international organizations. His research explores the relationship between imperialism and international organizations, but also the history of American and Canadian foreign policy. He is presently preparing a book manuscript on the origins of the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration (UNRRA), which provided aid to refugees and destitute populations in the wake of the Second World War. Professor Sharpe holds the MA in international relations from Yale University and the Ph.D. in the history from the University of Pennsylvania. He is the recipient of many awards, including fellowships from Rotary International, the US-Canadian Fulbright Commission, and the Mellon Foundation.