Roles of International Organizations
Great gains can be realized by regulating international interactions through institutions and rules,
thereby avoiding the costly outcomes associated with a breakdown of cooperation (see p. 6).
The rules that govern most interactions in IR are rooted in norms. International norms are the
expectations actors hold about normal international relations. Thus, sovereign states could
work together through structures and organizations (such as Kant’s proposed world federation)
that would respect each member’s autonomy, and not create a world government over them.
Agreed norms of behavior, institutionalized through such organizations, become habitual
over time and gain legitimacy. The power of international norms and standards of morality,
however, may vary when different states or world regions hold different expectations of what is
normal. When shared norms and habits may not suffice to solve international dilemmas and
achieve mutual cooperation, institutions play a key role. International organizations (IOs)
include intergovernmental organizations (IGOs) such as the UN, and nongovernmental
organizations (NGOs) such as the International Committee of the Red Cross. Some IGOs are
global in scope; others are regional or just bilateral (having only two states as members). Some
are general in their purposes; others have specific functional purposes. Global IGOs (aside from
the UN) usually have functional purposes involving coordinating actions of some set of states
around the world. NGOs tend to be more specialized in function than IGOs. For instance,
someone wanting to meet political scientists from other countries can join the International
Political Science Association
The United Nations
the basic purpose of the UN is to provide a global institutional structure through which states can
sometimes settle conflicts with less reliance on the use of force. The UN Charter is based on
the principles that states are equal under international law; that states have full sovereignty
over their own affairs; that states should have full independence and territorial integrity;
and that states should carry out their international obligations—such as respecting
diplomatic privileges, refraining from committing aggression, and observing the terms of
treaties they sign. The Charter also lays out the structure of the UN and the methods by which it
operates.
States gain leverage by using the UN to seek more beneficial outcomes in conflicts (especially
on general multilateral issues for which a global forum brings all parties together). States get
several benefits from the UN. Foremost amongthese is the international stability (especially in
securityaffairs) that the UN tries to safeguard; this allows states torealize gains from trade and
other forms of exchange (seeChapter 8). The UN is a symbol of international order andeven of
global identity. It is also a forum where states promotetheir views and bring their disputes. And
it is a mechanism for conflict resolution in international security affairs. Finally, the UN is a
coordinating system for information and planning by hundreds of internal and external agencies
and programs, and for the publication of international data.
Great gains can be realized by regulating international interactions through institutions and rules,
thereby avoiding the costly outcomes associated with a breakdown of cooperation (see p. 6).
The rules that govern most interactions in IR are rooted in norms. International norms are the
expectations actors hold about normal international relations. Thus, sovereign states could
work together through structures and organizations (such as Kant’s proposed world federation)
that would respect each member’s autonomy, and not create a world government over them.
Agreed norms of behavior, institutionalized through such organizations, become habitual
over time and gain legitimacy. The power of international norms and standards of morality,
however, may vary when different states or world regions hold different expectations of what is
normal. When shared norms and habits may not suffice to solve international dilemmas and
achieve mutual cooperation, institutions play a key role. International organizations (IOs)
include intergovernmental organizations (IGOs) such as the UN, and nongovernmental
organizations (NGOs) such as the International Committee of the Red Cross. Some IGOs are
global in scope; others are regional or just bilateral (having only two states as members). Some
are general in their purposes; others have specific functional purposes. Global IGOs (aside from
the UN) usually have functional purposes involving coordinating actions of some set of states
around the world. NGOs tend to be more specialized in function than IGOs. For instance,
someone wanting to meet political scientists from other countries can join the International
Political Science Association
The United Nations
the basic purpose of the UN is to provide a global institutional structure through which states can
sometimes settle conflicts with less reliance on the use of force. The UN Charter is based on
the principles that states are equal under international law; that states have full sovereignty
over their own affairs; that states should have full independence and territorial integrity;
and that states should carry out their international obligations—such as respecting
diplomatic privileges, refraining from committing aggression, and observing the terms of
treaties they sign. The Charter also lays out the structure of the UN and the methods by which it
operates.
States gain leverage by using the UN to seek more beneficial outcomes in conflicts (especially
on general multilateral issues for which a global forum brings all parties together). States get
several benefits from the UN. Foremost amongthese is the international stability (especially in
securityaffairs) that the UN tries to safeguard; this allows states torealize gains from trade and
other forms of exchange (seeChapter 8). The UN is a symbol of international order andeven of
global identity. It is also a forum where states promotetheir views and bring their disputes. And
it is a mechanism for conflict resolution in international security affairs. Finally, the UN is a
coordinating system for information and planning by hundreds of internal and external agencies
and programs, and for the publication of international data.
