Over the past decade, a quiet but significant shift has taken place in international diplomacy. Qatar, too, has established itself as perhaps the world’s most active mediator. It reflects the cumulative effects of geopolitical rivalry, institutional caution and the growing confidence of regional powers to act independently. Effective multilateral institutions provide something regional diplomacy cannot: legitimacy, continuity and a universal framework that extends beyond the interests of individual states. It is that the United Nations’ absence from major diplomatic crises has become normal.