an also be a shared trade route, power source and flood hazard. It is only through cooperation that states can harness and/or protect themselves from forces larger than any one state (no matter how large) can control.
(B) Mark Imber, in his article "International Organizations," follows through with this proposition of "expedient cooperation" by noting that international organizations function on the plane of multilateral diplomacy. In contrast to the "classic" forms of diplomacy - that is, state-to-state/government-to-government/balance-of-power - multilateral diplomacy takes a pluralist approach to the international order by recognizing the importance of the economic and technical fields of foreign policy as well (Imber 10.1: 1)
In this realm of international relations, the roles of international law, international organizations and international regimes intermingle and reinforce one another. Almost (but not quite) by definition, international law is a part of an international regime, since the concept of regime in this sense refers to the rules, regulations, norms and principles that guide transactions and problem-solving in issue areas that affect two or more states (Holsti 365). By the same token, as an international regime formalizes inter-state consensus into international law, frequently international organizations are created to enforce that law - or at least monitor it. The United Nations, in its role as "peacekeeper" for example, frequently of late sends troops into trouble spots (Somalia, Bosnia) to monitor compliance with international law vis-a-vis human rights violations (Moens 148-149). The results may be ineffectual, but the message is clear: that the international community considers certain aspects of behavior under the scrutiny of international law.
The multilateral diplomacy implied by the triad of international regime-organization-law is more complex than the above, of course. Non-government orga...