Global Watchdogs: Adapting Roles to Realities

As conceptions of sovereignty have evolved, global watchdog institutions have assumed broader oversight roles in international affairs. But they still must operate in an environment constrained by states' prerogatives and political realities. For the IAEA, that means balancing competing agendas among member states. The ICC must find ways to pursue its mandate while remaining dependent on states' cooperation to carry it out. And NGOs, though increasingly an integral part of the global governance system, nevertheless struggle with questions of legitimacy and formal status.

Articles in this feature

The IAEA's Political Balancing Act

By Michelle E. Dover, Miles A. Pomper, , Feature

As the International Atomic Energy Agency held its Board of Governors meeting and annual General Conference over the past two weeks, the members of this United Nations body found themselves bitterly divided between those states with advanced nuclear capabilities and those that lack them, divisions that are likely to persist even after the agency turns the page on this year's meetings. more

Evaluating the International Criminal Court

By Ben Schiff, , Feature

Nine years after its launch in July 2002, the International Criminal Court has made a promising though problematic start. Some of its difficulties are inherent in its mission and context. Others have been generated by states' and officials' behavior. Carrying out the court's mandate to prosecute the perpetrators of humanity's worst crimes would be difficult even in ideal circumstances. Circumstances are not ideal. more

The Role of NGOs in Global Governance

By Peter Willetts, , Feature

It has become fashionable to assert that the role of nongovernmental organizations in world politics has grown in importance since the early 1990s. This assertion is true, but not because there is anything new about NGOs exercising influence, as is often claimed. Nevertheless, there have been some significant changes in recent years, leaving NGOs central to global political processes. more

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