The Role International Actors Other Than States can Play in the New World Order

Abstract

This chapter considers the status of non-state actors in the international legal system, with a particular focus on the questions of legitimacy and normativity raised by new forms of international law-making and new kinds of international actors. But it argues that states remain central actors, and the challenges of integrating non-state actors into the international legal order are not susceptible to sweeping prescriptions. A cautious, piecemeal and pluralistic approach is advocated.