International and Nongovernmental Organizations

    I think international organizations (IGOs) form for many reasons.  One is to hold states accountable for violating international laws or abusing their power.  For example, one of the reasons for forming the League of Nations, and its successor the U.N., was to prevent aggression between members, helping to establish collective security among nations (Mingst, McKibben, Arreguin-Toft, 324-325).  Another reason is that states tend to function better when they are part of a cohesive unit, especially in our modern age with the kind of technology we have.  For example, the E.U. makes it easier for business people to operate between countries by allowing faster travel, a common currency, and special trade agreements (Mingst, McKibben, Arreguin-Toft, 341-342).  IGOs can also help stabilize smaller states that depend more on others to function well.  

    IGOs are units of states that cooperate together under an international system.  Their roles include providing security and making it easier for states to interact.  But perhaps their greatest role is helping states establish a position on foreign policy.  By aligning with others, states gain a better national identity as they adopt collective strategies for defense, transportation, and trade.   Other purposes of IGOs are to "develop procedures for making rules, settling disputes, and punishing those who fail to follow the rules"  (Mingst, McKibben, Arreguin-Toft, 323).  These functions ensure that states are acting in accord with the international system agreed upon.

    Nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) consist of individuals and not states.  They form to address the ever-increasing number of issues among social groups in our democracies.  Most of these organizations represent a specific social group, but many others work in the best interest of the public good (Mingst, McKibben, Arreguin-Toft, 353).  Though NGOs work more in the interest of social groups, many work on international peacekeeping missions and public health, such as the Red Cross and the Peace Corps.  Like IGOS, NGOs work to advocate policies for the public good, often by monitoring human rights and assisting in disaster relief.  A difference between them is that since IGOs involve states, they offer more security to member nations than NGOs can. 

    Realists tend to undervalue the impact IGOS and NGOs have on international politics (Mingst, McKibben, Arreguin-Toft, 360).  Even those who recognize the impact of IGOs aren't likely to recognize the same for NGOs, since they aren't organizations that involve states.  Realists may be correct in positing that NGOs have a less powerful voice than IGOs, but just because that's true doesn't mean they aren't relevant.  NGOs can have a powerful affect on international relations by encouraging policy changes in the democracies they operate under.  I would say their power is increasing as democracy reaches more places in the world.  Globalization and media coverage have also given NGOs a megaphone to push their agendas from.

    This is why liberals view IGOs and NGOs as necessary to expanding the public conscience on critical issues.  They see them as having the power to encourage collective action through various means, such as activism, education, and public debate.  I feel like this is more accurate than the realist perspective, because people can become radicalized by ideologies that are pushed by NGOs, like Al Qaeda.  9/11 was arguably the biggest political event of the last 20 years, and it it was caused by a NGO.

    Constructivists see IGOs and NGOs as key contributors to the socialization of states through their evaluation of norms.  As state participants learn the values of norms, they also shape norms by participating.  Constructivists warn that some organizations can become dysfunctional if they act "contrary to the interests of their constituency" (Mingst, McKibben, Arreguin-Toft, 362).  They would probably cite the failure of the League of Nations as the failure to act in the collective interest of keeping German aggression at bay.

Source:

Mingst, Karen A., McKibben, Heather Elko, Arreguin-Toft, Ivan M. Essentials of International Relations, 8^th ed. W.W. Norton & Company, Inc. Canada