Exit from International Organizations – Rethinking State Withdrawal

In this episode, UNU-CPR Director Dr. David Pasarelli is joined by Professor Inken von Borzyskowski about her award-winning book, Exit from International Organizations (co-authored with Professor Felicity Vabulas, Cambridge University Press, 2025). Winner of the Chadwick Alger Prize and shortlisted by the British International Studies Association, the book explores why states leave or are suspended from international organizations – a phenomenon often misunderstood as a recent surge driven by nationalism or populism.

The discussion highlights that, despite headlines, exit is rarely terminal. About half of withdrawing states and 80% of suspended states eventually return, demonstrating the resilience of international institutions and the enduring investment of states in multilateralism.

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Access Professor von Borzyskowski's research on state exit from international organizations: https://unu.edu/cpr/brief/why-do-countries-walk-away-international-organizations-and-what-do-current-breakups-mean