Two Ideas of International Organization

Political theory has long sought a philosophical basis for such ideas as law, authority, and freedom - but usually within the context of the nationstate. Only rarely has political theory placed the nation-state in an international framework; and, when it has tried, it has often done poorly. Sometimes the political theory becomes purely altruistic and utopian; at other times it works to support the irresponsibility of individual governments and the breakup of international order.