210 CHAPTER SEvEn ■ IGOs, InternatIOnal law, and nGOs
from domestic law and how both states and IGOs are embedded in that law. Under-
standing the international legal framework is central to understanding the liberal
view of international politics. We then examine nongovernmental organ izations
(nGOs), which are relatively new but increasingly power ful actors. Fi nally, we explore
the realist, radical, and constructivist responses.
learnInG ObjectIves■ Explain why intergovernmental organ izations form.
■ Describe what intergovernmental organ izations, such as the
United nations, have contributed to international peace and security.
■ Trace how the Eu ro pean Union changed over time.
■ Describe the roles international law and nongovernmental organ izations
play in international relations.
■ Analyze the contending perspectives international- relations theorists
bring to their analy sis of intergovernmental organ izations,
nongovernmental organ izations, and international law.Intergovernmental organ izations
the creation of Igos
Why have states chosen to or ga nize themselves collectively? Liberalism provides the
answer: within the framework of institutions and rules, cooperation is pos si ble.
International organ izations are the arenas where states interact and cooperate to solve
common prob lems. During the 1970s, neoliberal institutionalists, as described in
Chapters 3 and 4, revived the study of international organ izations; they argued that
“even if... anarchy constrains the willingness of states to cooperate, states neverthe-
less can work together and can do so especially with the assistance of international
institutions.”^1
Recall the prisoner’s dilemma, explained in Chapter 3. If the situation between the
two prisoners is played one time, both prisoners will defect (or confess) to minimize