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Examines the purposes of punishment and reveals that only some are understandable when a model of means-end rationality is used, suggesting that the element of the nonrational also plays an important role in international sanctions. (Abstract amended)

Since 1965, when it decided to create a Secretariat, the Commonwealth has increasingly been seen as a formal international organization, rather than the informal family or community of like-minded states that characterized its earlier self-identification. Notwithstanding very modest assumptions about what its role should be, the Secretariat itself has done much to encourage this tendency. Yet, given its lack of both a constitution & very clear functions, there is still room to question what kind of IGO the Commonwealth is & whether it can find a distinctive niche in the ever-expanding universe of IGOs. At different times since 1965, the Commonwealth has assumed five different kinds of identities. It is argued here that a combination of three of these, together with what remains of its community traditions, could provide it with a valuable, if limited, role in an era of globalization. Adapted from the source document.

The transnational approach relativizes the role traditionally assigned to the state, without heralding its demise, disposes of the spatial factor without denying territorial realities and introduces a global perspective without underestimating analytical method. Discusses one of the categories of transnational forces: what are usually known as 'international nongovernmental organizations' (INGOs) or 'trans-national associations'. (RSM)

Aus westeuropäischer Sicht

Baleck reviews 'The Political Discourse of Anarchy: A Disciplinary History of International Relations' by Brian C. Schmidt.

An analysis of how international nongovernment organizations (INGOs) have come to modify or challenge the international system. The introduction of transnational forces -- ie, nonstate entities of a social, political, scientific, religious, environmental, or other nature -- into the study of international relations does not merely shift or cut across boundaries, but calls for a new, intrinsicially pluralistic approach. The interplay of factors & actors outside the conventional frame of reference of territorial sovereign states exposes a multipolar world that encompasses a variety of intersecting sociopolitical "forces of attraction" of a predominantly economic, ethnic, or religious character. The transnational approach particularly emphasizes three aspects of nonstate entities: their historical precedence over the state system; INGOs' role as the subjects & makers of international law; & the latter's effective scope of action in the contemporary world, either as shapers of opinion, as autonomous actors, or in competition with states. As central components of a potential international civil society, their transnationalization poses the question of the universal character of the state, & hence of civil society, & the groupings that structure it across national borders. 2 Illustrations, 41 References. AA