# Why should anyone care about the UN and international law?

An episode of [Why Can't They Just...](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1818980418), 21 Oct 2026, 42 min.

Audio: https://anchor.fm/s/105531ab4/podcast/play/127380254/https%3A%2F%2Fd3ctxlq1ktw2nl.cloudfront.net%2Fstaging%2F2026-9-13%2F49355afd-e82a-a272-9332-b85b7befe06c.mp3

Janaline, Yassine, Luke and Glenn ask why countries bother with multilateralism and the United Nations, particularly when the big powers don’t seem to care and there is no enforcement of international law. The bottom line is that it is actually in countries’ interests to cooperate and international law doesn’t just constrain them but also their partners and international rivals. And the biggest losers from a big country’s withdrawal from multilateral processes are actually the people of that country… Here is a transcript. Please leave a comment, particularly if you have your own "Why can't they just..." question, or email us at `whycanttheyjust@gmail.com`. We'd love to hear from you. Find out more about us and how you can support us at https://whycanttheyjust.com.au/, which includes a link to our Patreon site where you can sign up for exclusive content. Please also feel free to rate and review us, as it does help people to find us. Music: "Insurrection" Written by Pierre Chrétien Performed by the Soul Jazz Orchestra Courtesy of Do Right Music Inc.

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