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An association of states deriving its organizational character from its permanence, its quasi-governmental organs, and (generally speaking) its employment of international civil servants. Thus an international organization is likely to have an executive committee composed of a relatively small number of its member states, a general deliberative body in which all the members participate, and a secretariat headed by a secretary-general. It may be more-or-less universal in membership, have a regional focus, or even be composed of just two or three states. No less various is the subject matter of an international organization: it can be wide-ranging or have a narrow specialist character, or anything in between. There are probably about three hundred such bodies, the United Nations, the European Union, the Organization of American States, the African Union, and NATO being among the best known.
An international organization is established by treaty, which defines and limits the organization\'s legal competence. This points to a fundamental difference between a state and an international organization: the latter possesses only such powers as are granted to it by its constituent document, and cannot legally act beyond those powers, whereas a sovereign state possesses the totality of rights and duties recognized by international law and, subject to the provisions of that law, can engage in almost any activity that it chooses.
International organizations reflect the need that has been felt for certain matters to be permanently handled on a multilateral basis. Thus they began to be established in the latter part of the nineteenth century when it was realized that the efficient conduct of postal and telegraphic communication across the world required something more than a myriad of bilateral arrangements. In the twentieth century attempts were made to ensure the maintenance of world peace through general international organizations in the shape, first, of the League of Nations and then of the UN.
In political terms, international organizations are in a weak position, in that they depend on their member states for finance and, in respect of any external activity that they conduct, for personnel. Thus any particular proposed activity is dependent on a sufficient number of member states thinking that it is in their individual national interests. Nonetheless, in certain limited respects some organizations may be more than the sum of their members. For example, a resolution of the UN General Assembly may be generally seen as representing something more than the views of the states who voted for it; or the UN Secretary-General may be seen not just as a paid official but also as the independent spokesman for the ideals which the UN espouses.
International organizations used often to be called international institutions but, except perhaps among lawyers, the term ‘organization’ is now widely preferred. It should be noted that scholars frequently use ‘International Organization’ to refer to the study of such bodies. |
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