Abstract:

Although the 20th century did not directly invent the international organization, it amplified the phenomenon in terms of internationalism, regionalism, transnationalism and the concept of the supranational. The paper is devoted to internationalism, explaining first the failure of the League of Nations by the politico-legal links the latter had with the 1919-1920 peace settlement, the imperfections of the covenant’s collective security system and the misconduct of all the major powers of the day. Starting out with a re-reading of the founding postulates of the United Nations charter, the second part highlights the fact that after having adapted creatively to the parameters of the Cold War, the UN still cannot manage to define its role in the post-Cold War world. The author concludes that in the 'post-Westphalian' age that is now dawning, the international organization should rethink its concepts, methods and purposes with a view to playing more diversified and complex roles.

To read the full text in french