3. Power and Interdependence

The second of the distinctions around which this book is organized is that between power and interdependence. Because of changes in technology, communications, and economics that make states more interdependent, the policy options of states are becoming increasingly constrained by the policy choices made by other states. Many analysts of international organizations (IOs) argue that these organizations are the most effective ways for states to deal with interdependence, that they are vehicles through which states cooperate to promote the best outcomes for everyone in an interdependent world. Others argue, however, that IOs are not neutral agents of cooperation, but represent the interests of particular states and are mechanisms through which powerful states control less-powerful ones. This chapter examines both arguments.