Shortcomings of International Regimes

Shortcomings of International Regimes

International regimes are overloaded with high expectations to address rising conflicts caused by major actors in international relations. Their relative universality in comparison to domestic governance leads to state dependence on international organizations, law, and norms to combat the surmountable power of major actors to shape world politics. Although regimes possess the potential to shape the actions of and constrain major actors in international politics, they are limited in their ability to truly do so. The shortcoming of their power lies in the inability to enforce established agendas and the lack of tangible incentives for nations to comply with the standards and regulations that such agendas would impose. Although there are benefits for major states to comply with international regimes, such as adding legitimacy to their actions or the payoffs of international cooperation, inevitably there are times when the benefits of noncompliance outweigh those of collaboration in the eyes of the acting state. Whether it be to advance an agenda that is widely criticized by these international norms and laws, or to protect themselves from threats to their own sovereignty, major actors specifically have the ability to make decisions outside of the realm of regimes. As demonstrated in current global affairs, they take advantage of this power frequently. Thus, international regimes have limited power in constraining major actors in international politics.

The prospective capabilities of regimes appear potent, but do not viably extend to the major actors in international relations. John Mearsheimer discusses the theory of liberal institutionalism in his paper “The False Promise of Internation...

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...laws and norms evolve naturally with the balance of power. Effectively, regimes do not fulfill their promise to coerce major actors in the realm of international relations.

Word Count: 1,499

Works Cited

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