International organizations, alliances, and multilateral bodies — their mandates, power structures, and limitations.
16 articles
The Supranational Experiment
The world's most ambitious experiment in regional integration, pooling sovereignty among 27 European nations across economic, political, and increasingly security domains. The EU represents both model and warning for regional governance worldwide.
The Bretton Woods Twins
The twin pillars of international economic governance established in 1944, shaping development finance, crisis response, and economic policy worldwide. Together they embody both the promise and controversy of American-led economic order.
The Referee of Global Commerce
The multilateral institution governing international trade rules and resolving disputes between nations. Once the crown jewel of economic globalization, the WTO now faces existential crisis as great power competition undermines its foundational principles.
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations, linking ten diverse countries in a unique model of consensus-based regional cooperation. ASEAN's influence stems not from hard power but from convening capacity that places it at the center of Indo-Pacific diplomacy.
The trilateral security partnership between Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States, centered on providing Australia with nuclear-powered submarines. AUKUS signals a hardening Western posture toward China and a restructuring of Indo-Pacific alliances.
The successor to the Organization of African Unity, seeking to accelerate African integration, resolve conflicts, and represent the continent globally. The AU embodies Africa's aspirations for self-determination while struggling with limited resources and member state sovereignty.
BRICS brings together Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa—and since 2024, an expanded membership—as a platform for emerging economies to coordinate positions, develop alternatives to Western-dominated institutions, and project a vision of multipolar global governance.
The intelligence-sharing network linking the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand—the most intimate and enduring alliance in modern espionage, born from wartime codebreaking and now spanning signals intelligence, cyber operations, and global surveillance.
The world's premier forums for economic policy coordination among major economies, from the exclusive G7 club of wealthy democracies to the broader G20 including rising powers. These informal gatherings shape global economic governance while facing questions about legitimacy and effectiveness.
The transatlantic military alliance binding North America and Europe in collective defense, NATO has evolved from a Cold War bulwark against Soviet expansion into the primary security framework for the Euro-Atlantic region, now confronting renewed great power competition and questions about its future role.
The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and its expanded alliance with Russia and other producers, wielding control over oil supply to influence prices, geopolitics, and the global economy. OPEC's power faces existential challenge from the energy transition.
The strategic forum linking the United States, Japan, Australia, and India in loose coordination against Chinese assertiveness. The Quad represents the emergence of minilateral cooperation in an era of great power competition.
The Chinese and Russian-led organization encompassing Central Asia and increasingly the broader Eurasian landmass. The SCO represents an alternative to Western-led security architecture—though its coherence and effectiveness remain debated.
The fifteen-member body with primary responsibility for international peace and security—and the only UN organ whose decisions are legally binding. The P5 veto system reflects 1945's power realities, creating both stability and paralysis.
Founded in 1966 to foster economic growth in post-colonial Asia, the Asian Development Bank has evolved into a major instrument of regional development and, critics argue, of American and Japanese geopolitical influence. Its role has grown more complex with the emergence of China's rival Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank.
The New Development Bank, established by BRICS nations in 2014, represents an institutional challenge to Western-dominated development finance, offering infrastructure lending with equal governance among founding members, local currency options, and an expanding focus on green investment.