The State and International Organizations

Abstract

This is a book about international organization (IO) theory and its use to understand international relations. It is organized around four distinctions to be found in the theoretical literature on IOs: between sovereignty and globalization, between power and interdependence, between efficiency and ideas, and between regimes and institutions. These distinctions are then applied to specific IOs, including the United Nations and other organizations that deal with issues including peace and security, human rights and humanitarian aid, the environment and sustainability, global health, and the international political economy. This chapter introduces the four distinctions and lays out the structure of the book.