The phenomenon of globalization, a somewhat contemporary concept in international relations, has resulted in the collapse of territorial boundaries. It is the continuous linking of the global economies and peoples facilitated by trade; commerce; ideas; and perhaps most importantly, technology, especially information super highways. Globalization has effectively challenged the traditional concept of sovereignty and absolute authority of states. However, with globalization and its positives, comes the issue of globalization of problems.
To this end, politico-economic cum socio-security problems in one territory has the tendency to affect other territories, even beyond sub-region and regions, and in some cases, global. A contemporary instance is the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war and its implications on global availability of grain. Geo-political tension in the Middle East has also resulted in attacks on commercial vessels voyaging on critical global maritime routes, triggering an unprecedented disruption of global trade. The effects are felt far beyond the areas of conflict due to global interconnectivity.
However, in a bid to address these challenges, ranging from political, economic, social, environment, to security issues, countries of the world collaborate. These collaborating countries pull together human and material resources, establish structures and platforms for dialogue and decisions on identified issues of mutual concern to enable a uniform and coherent approach to solving them. To achieve these, official and unofficial organizations, bodies, or groups are created. In international relations, this is referred to as the concept of multilateralism.
It is a critical concept in global politics which talks of creating platforms among agreeing countries and organizations for management and containment of issues of mutual concern; achieve economic prosperity; have military collaboration; encourage each other on the path of growth and resilience; and speak with one voice on international issues. This is usually based on the principle of reciprocity; cooperation; non-discrimination; and inclusivity, which allows countries of varying background to be members of the group. Besides multilateralism, there are bilateralism which refers to cooperation between two nations and then, unilateralism which talks of actions by lone country.
It is instructive to note that multilateralism dates back to the end of WW11 driven by war experiences and the imperatives of ensuring global peace and cooperation. Some of these international cooperation platforms that have drawn global attention in the contemporary international political system are the Groups of 7 and 20 (G7 and G20), as well as official groups like the North Atlantic Treaty Organization; Association of South East Asian Nations; Organization of American States; African Union; and the United Nations.
Although multilateralism promotes global peace; provides a forum for diplomatic engagements; pushes economic growth; and encourages cooperation among nations, the proliferation of multilateral organizations has also come with huge challenges which are incapacitating them and frustrating the containment of global issues.
Inequitable distribution of power amongst member nations has continued to pose a significant challenge to multilateral organizations. The reason is not farfetched as economic, political, and military strength of members nations are unequal. There is the issue of poor institutional framework and the weakness of existing ones. This has resulted in poor response to issues of mutual concern, usually with global implications. Perhaps, the highest is the emerging problem of protectionism and economic nationalism, another very fundamental issue in international political economics.
Multilateralism creates structures for discussion and consequent resolution of issues of mutual concern. There is a proliferation of these organizations across the globe based on several factors ranging from economic to military strength. The successes of these organizations notwithstanding, global problems have persisted especially in the areas of security; environment; and trade. It is therefore expedient for these organizations to adapt and strengthen their resolve to address emerging global challenges.
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