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World leaders are about to choose a new United Nations secretary-general. Whoever gets the job will inherit an uncomfortable truth: The world body’s promise to end poverty, hunger, and disease is in retreat because today’s leaders are presiding over an era of multiple and growing forever wars.

In September 2015, U.N. member states set 17 Sustainable Development Goals, or SDGs, to be achieved by 2030. These sought to end extreme poverty, promote climate action, and set social and economic targets, all while “leaving no one behind.” But the commitment assumed the existence of functioning states, international cooperation, and development systems capable of turning finance into progress.

World leaders are about to choose a new United Nations secretary-general. Whoever gets the job will inherit an uncomfortable truth: The world body’s promise to end poverty, hunger, and disease is in retreat because today’s leaders are presiding over an era of multiple and growing forever wars.

In September 2015, U.N. member states set 17 Sustainable Development Goals, or SDGs, to be achieved by 2030. These sought to end extreme poverty, promote climate action, and set social and economic targets, all while “leaving no one behind.” But the commitment assumed the existence of functioning states, international cooperation, and development systems capable of turning finance into progress.

Instead, the world has entered a new global disorder. States flout laws, and impunity is on the rise, while aid budgets are cut and international cooperation is undermined. The United States, which was once the anchor of the global system, has abandoned its former role. Countries including the United........

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