International organizations are at the heart of many global issues today. This 2010 textbook looks at the leading international organizations and explains how they both shape and are shaped by international politics. The book examines three themes: the legal obligations that give international organizations their powers; the mechanisms that elicit compliance by their member states; and the practices of enforcement in the organizations. Each chapter shows how international organizations work in practice and the interactions between them and their member states. This text provides a comprehensive understanding of what international organizations do, how and why they do it, and the challenges they face.

‘Cogent, concise and intellectually incisive, this book will educate and motivate students, scholars and diplomats alike.’

Michael Byers - Canada Research Chair in Global Politics and International Law, University of British Columbia

‘A much-needed addition to the field of international organizations. Ian Hurd explores the key theoretical and practical issues concerning international organizations in a well-written, engaging, and comprehensive manner.’

Jon Pevehouse - University of Wisconsin

‘This terrific introduction by one of the leading younger scholars of international organizations is core reading for any course on international institutions: it is accessible, comprehensive in its coverage of the key international organizations, and compellingly structured according to states’ obligations arising from an IO treaty, states’ compliance with these obligations in practice, and the IO’s powers to enforce compliance.’

Ulrich Sedelmeier - London School of Economics and Political Science

'… International Organizations is a very valuable contribution in the still developing field of international law and international relations. It is recommended reading for those seeking an introduction to or review of the way in which politics and law interact and define the relationship between IOs and states. Hurd offers a useful review of approaches to the study of international organizations and provides a valuable comparative approach to thinking about how states use law to empower IOs and how, in turn, those IOs seek to constrain and shape state behaviour.'

Timothy Meyer - University of Georgia