Is inviting everyone to the meeting holding back global cooperation? | Qahir Dhanani - TED Talks Daily Recap

Podcast: TED Talks Daily

Published: 2026-01-08

Duration: 11 minutes

Guests: Qahir Dhanani

Summary

Qahir Dhanani argues for small, focused coalitions instead of large multilateral meetings to improve global cooperation and tackle challenging issues.

What Happened

Qahir Dhanani opens the discussion by highlighting the decline in public trust towards international institutions, questioning the effectiveness of the traditional multilateral approach. He uses the example of the two lines in passports, which resulted from successful international cooperation beginning with only three countries, to illustrate how effective small groups can be. Dhanani points out that the current geopolitical landscape, driven by the realities post-World War II, struggles to keep up with modern challenges, necessitating a reevaluation of how global collaboration is conducted.

He proposes that instead of attempting to achieve a global consensus among nearly 200 countries, which often results in the 'least objectionable outcome', we should focus on forming 'coalitions of the willing'. These coalitions consist of small, dynamic groups of countries and organizations ready to take bold and transformative actions. Dhanani cites past examples of successful coalitions, such as the standardization of credit cards, which began with a few companies before becoming globally accepted.

A particularly hopeful example Dhanani shares is the LEAF Coalition, which tackles environmental issues by bringing together a mix of donor countries, forest nations, corporations, and civil society organizations. This coalition did not wait for a global treaty but instead took immediate action, resulting in a new market for protecting nature. Dhanani sees this as a model for how multilateralism should function in the 21st century.

He suggests that international organizations like the United Nations could benefit from adopting this coalition model to address pressing global issues such as AI governance, migration, and food security. Dhanani emphasizes that while this approach is not yet happening at the desired pace, there is a clear indication of progress and potential.

Dhanani concludes by presenting a choice: continue with the ineffective status quo or embrace a new path of selective collaboration. He stresses the need for ambition and boldness to tackle the world's most difficult challenges, encouraging listeners to reconsider the framework of international cooperation.

The episode highlights the necessity of reevaluating and updating diplomatic processes to match the speed and complexity of today's global issues. It offers a practical vision for fostering effective international collaboration through focused and committed coalitions.

Key Insights

• International cooperation often results in 'least objectionable outcomes' when nearly 200 countries attempt to reach consensus, highlighting the inefficiency of traditional multilateral approaches.
• The LEAF Coalition, which addresses environmental issues, exemplifies successful selective collaboration by combining donor countries, forest nations, corporations, and civil society without waiting for a global treaty.
• The standardization of credit cards began with a small group of companies before achieving global acceptance, demonstrating the potential of small, dynamic coalitions to drive widespread change.
• International organizations like the United Nations could enhance their effectiveness by adopting coalition models to address complex global issues such as AI governance, migration, and food security.