What Is "Multilateral"? An Abused Term in the International Relations Debate

In: Policy review: the journal of American citizenship, Heft 117, S. [np]

Abstract

Arguing that there is no consensus in the academic or policymaking communities about how multilateralism should be defined, five conceptual issues that might be used to frame a more productive transatlantic discussion of multilateralism are examined: (1) the importance of norms vs numbers; (2) universal vs non-universal arrangements; (3) the problem of "dysfunctional multilateralism"; (4) enforcement, compliance, & the role of international organizations; (5) & the relationship between multilateralism & European integration. Adapted from the source document.