Secretary Rubio: "The International System Is Not In Good Shape Right Now," "Failing Because It Has Grown Beyond Its Mandate"
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2026/09/23/rubio_failing_because_it_has_grown_beyond_its_mandate.html

Secretary of State Marco Rubio explicitly stated the Trump administration's most basic foreign policy tenet on Wednesday, telling reporters at the United Nations General Assembly that "the international system is failing because it has grown beyond its mandate, unable to solve virtually any major conflict in the world."

"The international system is not in good shape right now," he said, adding: "We see the utility in the international system. We're here. The president said the United Nations has tremendous potential but is not living up to it."

REPORTER: President Macron yesterday spoke about a return to the law of the jungle and an erosion of international norms-something other leaders here think. Does the language of annihilation of countries give grounds-

SECRETARY OF STATE MARCO RUBIO: We saw President Macron briefly the night before the speech. I don't know what he is referring to.

The international system is not in good shape right now. These international norms people talk about-the president and I reflected this going back to the beginning. The view of this administration is that the number one obligation of every government is the national interest of their country.

So the United States will obviously-we see the utility in the international system. We're here. The president said the United Nations has tremendous potential but is not living up to it.

I think multiple leaders-curious thing, and something you guys should point to-multiple leaders pointed to the fact that the international system is failing because it has grown beyond its mandate, unable to solve virtually any major conflict in the world.

I think there is unanimity and consensus in the gathering, and broadly, that the international system is broken, but it broke itself.

It needs to be brought back to its proper focus and proper role. And it would be great if we had a functional international system that could deal with a war between Thailand and Cambodia, or India and Pakistan, and Rwanda, Sudan, and Iran in the Straits. We don't seem to have a functional international system to address it.

Nation-states will act in their national interest. I want to be clear: This is not an attack on the international system.

At the end of the day, the United States will always-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. We'll never put the international order above the interests of the United States. Okay?