For the US, however, the utility of multilateralism is purely situational. Above all, multilateralism is never preferable to a “good” bilateral solution – a view that has reinforced behavior that undermines, rather than strengthens, the capacity for effective international action.
考虑问题的性质也发生了变化，这一点更显得正确了。与我们其他人一样，美国也无法逃避气候变化、流行病和恐怖主义——这些挑战需要全球合作解决。但是，对美国来说，多边主义的功效完全是权宜性的。说到底，多边主义永远不会比“好的”双边方案更好——这一观点强化了削弱（而不是增强）有效国际行动的能力。