Rubio slams int’l order, says US will always act in its national interest

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday criticized the current international system as "failing" and asserted that Washington will consistently prioritize its national interests over the international order.

Addressing journalists on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, Rubio argued that multilateral bodies have lost their core purpose and failed to resolve major global flashpoints.

"The international system is not in good shape right now, and these international norms people talk about," Rubio said. "At the end of the day, the president (Donald Trump) and I reflected this going back to the very beginning. The view of this administration is that the number one obligation of every government is the national interest of their country."

Rubio pointed out that world leaders increasingly share a consensus that global institutions are no longer working as intended. "Multiple leaders pointed to the fact that the international system is failing, and it's failing because it has grown beyond its mandate," he said.

"It has grown beyond its intent. It's involved in all kinds of things it shouldn't be involved in, and it's unable to solve virtually any major conflict in the world."

Highlighting ongoing global tensions, Rubio questioned the efficacy of global institutions in managing disputes such as clashes between Thailand and Cambodia, tensions between India and Pakistan, conflicts in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda, and maritime friction in the Strait of Hormuz involving Iran.

In the absence of a functional system, nation-states must look out for their own security, Rubio said, emphasizing the administration's foreign policy approach.

"At the end of the day, the United States will always act. At least as long as President Trump is in office, we will always act in the national interest of our country, not in the interest of the international order," he stressed. "We will never put the international order above the interest of the United States."