Democratic structures : supranational and international

Abstract

Over the past century, many nation-state governments realised that the smooth running of international trade, the resolution of the world's social and economic crises, and the maintenance of international peace and stability require concerted action, rather than unilateral solutions or the implementation of isolationist policies. Furthermore, globalisation has made the world's nation states more economically and politically interdependent. Consequently, international cooperation has become practically inevitable. Hence the establishment of international organisations, which provide the member states of such organisations with the institutions which enable them to set international agendas; take common political initiatives; reach political bargains; and foster cooperative behaviour.