What I'm Questioning About Integrity Work Right Now

I've been doing integrity work for 15 years now — investigations, whistleblower protection, anti-corruption systems in places like the UN and the World Bank. 

I've always believed in the work. I still do.

But this week, something cracked open.

Another war started. Another violation of international law. Another failure of multilateralism to prevent violence. Another moment where the institutions meant to uphold global order seemed powerless or, worse, irrelevant.

And as I watched the news cycle churn, trying to understand what is happening, assess risk as I live in the region, and make sense of a world that feels increasingly unstable, I found myself asking a question I've never let myself ask out loud:

What does integrity work mean when the world we're operating in is fracturing and the multilateral system and institutions we serve are struggling to hold?

There are two things happening at once, and I think they're connected in ways we don't talk about enough.