Abstract
In 1994, in his landmark article ‘The False Promise of International Institutions’, John Mearsheimer reviewed liberal institutionalism, collective security and critical theory to evaluate whether the claim that institutions cause peace is convincing. He concludes that it is not – ‘institutions have minimal influence on state behaviour, and thus hold little promise for promoting stability in the post-Cold War world’ (1994/1995: 7). Realism reigned supreme. Although I will not attempt to engage with Mearsheimer’s theory, I am nonetheless sympathetic to his attempt to critically review standard canons in international relations.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Adibe, C. E. (1997). The Liberian conflict and the ECOWAS-UN partnership. Third World Quarterly, 18(3), 471–488.
Alagappa, M., & Inoguchi, T. (Eds.). (1999). International security management and the United Nations. Tokyo: United Nations University Press.
Annan, K. (2006). A regional-global security partnership: Challenges and opportunities (Report of the Secretary General. A/61/204 – S/2006/590). New York: United Nations.
Ayoob, M. (1995). The third world security predicament: State making, regional conflict, and the international system. Boulder: Lynne Rienner.
Berman, E. (1998). The security council’s increasing reliance on burden-sharing: Collaboration or abrogation? International Peacekeeping, 4(1), 1–21.
Boulden, J. (Ed.). (2003). Dealing with conflict in Africa: The United Nations and regional organizations. London: Palgrave Macmillan.
Boutros-Ghali, B. (1995). Report of the Secretary General: Supplement to an agenda for peace (Document A/50/60 – S/1995/1). New York: United Nations.
Capie, D. (2008). Localization as resistance: The contested diffusion of small arms norms in Southeast Asia. Security Dialogue, 39(6), 637–658.
Diehl, P. F. (2003). Regional conflict management: Strategies, necessary conditions, and comparative effectiveness. In F. P. Diehl & J. Lepgold (Eds.), Regional conflict management (pp. 41–77). Lanham: Rowman and Littlefield.
Diehl, P. F., & Lepgold, J. (2003). Regional conflict management. Oxford: Rowman & Littlefield.
Goulding, M. (2003). Peacemonger. Washington, DC: Johns Hopkins University Press.
Graham, K., & Felício, T. (2006). Regional security and global governance: A study of interactions between regional agencies and the UN Security Council with a proposal for a regional-global security mechanism. Brussels: VUB Brussels University Press.
Hansen, H. E., McLaughlin, M. S., & Nemeth, S. C. (2008). IO mediation of interstate conflicts: Moving beyond the global versus regional dichotomy. Journal of Conflict Resolution, 52(2), 295–325.
Hettne, B., & Söderbaum, F. (2006). The UN and regional organizations in global security: Competing or complementary logics? Global Governance, 12, 227–232.
High Level Panel of the Audit of the African Union. (2007). Audit of the African Union. Addis Ababa: African Union.
International Peace Academy. (2006). Building partnerships for crisis prevention, conflict resolution and peace-building between the United Nations and regional organizations. New York: International Peace Academy.
Jones, D. M., & Smith, M. L. R. (2007). Making process, not progress: ASEAN and the evolving East Asian regional order. International Security, 32(1), 148–184.
Kelly, R. (2007). Security theory in the “new regionalism”. International Studies Review, 9, 197–229.
Lake, D., & Morgan, P. (1997). Regional orders: Building security in a new world. Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania State University Press.
Martin, I. (2003). Is the regionalization of peace operations desirable? In M. Pugh & W. P. Singh Sidhu (Eds.), The United Nations and regional security: Europe and beyond. Boulder/London: Lynne Rienner.
Mearsheimer, J. J. (1994/1995). The false promise of international institutions. International Security, 19(3), 5–49.
Merlingen, M. (2008). Everything is dangerous: A critique of ‘normative power Europe’. Security Dialogue, 38(4), 435–453.
Meyer, A. (2009). Regional peace operations in Central Africa: FOMUC’s limited security contribution and new expectations on MICOPAX. African Security, 2(2–3), 158–174.
Murithi, T. (2009). IGAD on the ground: Comparing interventions in Sudan and Somalia. African Security, 2(2), 136–157.
Obi, C. (2009). ECOWAS on the ground: Comparing peacekeeping in Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea-Bissau and Cote D’Ivoire. African Security, 2(2), 119–135.
Pugh, M., & Singh Sidhu, W. P. (2003). The United Nations and regional security. Boulder/London: Lynne Rienner.
Tavares, R. (2009). Regional security: The capacity of international organizations. London/New York: Routledge.
Weiss, T. G. (Ed.). (1998). Beyond UN subcontracting: Task-sharing with regional security arrangements and service-providing NGOs. Basingstoke: Macmillan.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2012 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Tavares, R. (2012). The False Promise of Regional Organisations?. In: De Lombaerde, P., Baert, F., Felício, T. (eds) The United Nations and the Regions. United Nations University Series on Regionalism, vol 3. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-2751-9_11
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-2751-9_11
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-94-007-2750-2
Online ISBN: 978-94-007-2751-9
eBook Packages: Humanities, Social Sciences and LawPolitical Science and International Studies (R0)