Artikel

Het nieuwe multilateralisme in de theorie van de internationale betrekkingen

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Abstract

The new multilateralism in international relations theory - This article examines the future of multilateral cooperation as predicted by international relations theory. According to the optimistic view, the relative decline of the superpowers and the emergence of a complex and interdependent world structure foster international cooperation. Realist authors, however, are convinced that effective cooperation can only be realized under hegemonic dominance. Hegemo¬ nic decline automatically leads to the fragmentation of international regimes, they argue. Denying this realist interpretation, neo-liberal institutionalists assert that international institutions can facilitate cooperation, even without the dominance of a single power. Institutional arrangements, they say, affect positively the flow of information, opportunities to negotiate, the ability to monitor others’ compliance and prevailing expectations about the solidity of international agreements. The author concludes that international institutions can indeed foster cooperation but only on condition that the states involved have come to the realization that they will gain from their cooperation. Neither liberal nor realist authors have come to grips with this process of cooperation as a learning process. Whereas realists emphasize that conflict, not harmony, is crucial in the dynamics of world politics, liberal authors depend on (but unfortunately do not explain) their belief in the ability of states through a combination of reason and empathy to develop patterns of collaboration.

How to Cite:

Devuyst, Y., (1990) “Het nieuwe multilateralisme in de theorie van de internationale betrekkingen”, Tijdschrift voor Sociale Wetenschappen 35(2), 152–168. doi: https://doi.org/10.21825/tvsw.95041