MIKTA and its declining fortunes

MIKTA started with leaders; passed to foreign ministers; was thrown to senior officials. Next, it'll be third-secretaries and boxed lunches

The Mexico, Indonesia, South Korea, Turkey, and Australia (MIKTA) partnership was established in 2013 to amplify their voices as middle powers in global governance. The group aimed to foster collaboration on issues of mutual concern, emphasizing democracy, open economies, and the rules-based international order. Now, it’s pretty much dead on the diplomatic gala floor.

MIKTA started with Leaders’ Summits. It was then passed to Foreign Ministers’ Summits. They still met during the pandemic over video. It was then passed to senior officials’ meetings. It then most recently passed to a rapid photo op on the side of the UNGA. If this trend continues, it will soon be third-secretaries with boxed lunches.

Over the past decade, the partnership has seen a notable decline in its influence and cohesion. The primary reason for this decline is the increasingly divergent positions of its member states on critical issues of global governance, which starkly contrasts with how traditional middle power c…