Czech FM at UN: Major powers should accept the limits of their influence

Small states are not seeking a world without great powers, but one in which major powers accept the limits of their influence, Czech Foreign Minister Petr Macinka told the United Nations Security Council on Tuesday.

Macinka said the world is suffering from a loss of communication and stressed the value of the Security Council as a forum where rival powers can still engage in dialogue.

“History teaches us that major conflicts do not begin only with aggression. They also begin with miscalculation, the breakdown of communication, and the belief that there is no longer any need to listen to others,” he said, adding that major powers need to hear how the rest of the world perceives their actions.

Macinka said the United Nations was not created to build a perfect world, but to prevent the worst outcomes. Although its structures reflect the realities of 1945 rather than today’s world, he said the UN remains essential because it gives smaller states a platform to make their voices heard.