Page 196 - Encyclopedia Of World History Vol III

interregional networks 1015

izations dedicated to improving conditions for the most
needy internationally. Interregional

Outlook on the Networks
Twenty-First Century
International organizations have been active for more hile the term globalization implies that prolonged
than a century in promoting international peace and Wand frequent contact between different parts of
security. The effectiveness of organizations focusing on the world is a relatively new phenomenon, such links
collective security has varied over time, but seems in gen- have been a consistent part of world history. In many
eral to have increased following the end of the Cold War. ways, global history may be understood as a succession
Whether or not this increased effectiveness continues will of these contacts. One way of thinking about these
help to determine patterns of war and peace in the global relationships is through the metaphor of net-
twenty-first century. The effectiveness of organizations works. Networks are arrangements of connections into
focusing on ameliorating the negative effects of war has nets, or permeable systems linking groups of points and
grown consistently, particularly since the end of World intersecting lines. Obvious examples are the body’s cir-
War II, and is likely to continue to grow. culatory system—a network of veins and arteries—or a
country’s transportation network of roads, railways,
J. Samuel Barkin
rivers, and canals. Global interregional networks are
defined by a complex series of interactions, such as trade
and communications, that span relatively wide geo-
Further Reading
graphical areas.
Barnett, M., & Finnemore, M. (1999).The power, politics, and patholo-
gies of international organizations. International Organization, 53, Interregional networks have two important character-
699–732. istics in common: The first is the distance between the
Cox, R., & Jacobson, H. (Eds.). (1973). The anatomy of influence: Deci-
sion making in international organization. New Haven, CT: Yale Uni- various points of the network, a condition that makes a
versity Press. sophisticated set of governing and logistical structures
Diehl, P. (1994). International peacekeeping. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins
University Press. necessary. These structures naturally reflect and may
Jervis, R. (1982). Security regimes. International Organization, 36, 357– encourage the social development of the parties involved.
378, The second critical aspect of such connections is that
Kennedy, D. (1989). International refugee protection. Human Rights
Quarterly, 8(1), 1–9. they are not transitory, but go on for a relatively long
Keohane, R., & Nye, J. (1977). Power and interdependence: World poli- time and come to achieve a certain predictability. We
tics in transition. Boston: Little, Brown.
Mearsheimer, J. (1994–1995). The false promise of international insti- therefore understand interregional networks to be com-
tutions. International Security,19(3), 5–49. plex structures for maintaining a semipermanent con-
Meisler, S. (1995). United Nations: The first fifty years. New York: nection between two or more points across great
Atlantic Monthly Press.
Mingst, K., & Karns, M. (2000). The United Nations in the post–Cold War distance.
era (2nd ed.). Boulder: Westview Press.
Pease, K. (2002). International organizations: Perspectives on gover- Early Networks
nance in the twenty-first century (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ:
Prentice Hall. Enough evidence exists of prehistorical trade—in obsid-
Ryan, S. (2000). The United Nations and international politics. New York: ian, for example—to indicate that some fairly far-flung
St. Martin’s.
Weiss, T., Forsythe, D., & Coate, R. (2004). The United Nations and exchange relationships had evolved by the fifth millen-
changing world politics (4th ed.). Boulder, CO: Westview Press. nium BCE.The first example for which we have extensive
Ziring, L., Rigg, R., & Plano, J. (2000). The United Nations: Inter-
national organization and world politics. Toronto: Wadsworth evidence has its center in the eastern Mediterranean in
Publishing. the second millennium BCE. Cultures in this region