In the light of the spreading globalization, states have realized that in the present circumstances it is not a rationale option to stay in isolation and that they need to work together and integrate into a network that would bring mutual benefits and also lessen the chances of wars in the upcoming time by inculcating them into such a setup that would raise the cost of doing harmful activities against each other.
The creation of regional organization intersects with the understanding of the states that since they are geographically closer to each other, thereby they have shared problems and due to this similarity of context the problems can be better dealt together by forming an organization and a proper framework rather than working alone by themselves. In addition several factors such as internal or external threats and domestic politics also forced the adjoining countries to form regional organizations.
The purpose of regional organizations from the onset of Cold War until present times stems from the need of the states to create setups that would favor them according to the given context. The formation of regional organizations. In the cold war security was the ultimate objective and organizations were formed taking in view of this aspect .In the present time organizations are formed taking into considerations many different issues ranging from environmental to economic issues. Economic interdependence has been one of the major driving force to form regional organizations due to the tremendous advantages it brings along with it.
After the World War 2, the world gradually realized the importance of regionalism and efforts were made for the integration of the states in the respective regions first in the 1960s and then late in 1980s. Europe developed a number of regional organizations, one after the other such as NATO, Organization of Security and Cooperation in Europe and European Union.
After the Cold War the whole dimension of regional organizations have changed for instance NATO (a highly organized security organization), which was formed with the purpose to counter the Soviet Union didn’t collapse after the disintegration of the U.S.S.R but rather it expanded with new objectives. Moreover collective security was also given huge emphasis considering an attack on one as an attack on all. Hence it greatly increased the cost of attacking any member state and to a great extent it has been successful.
Other European organizations such as Organization of Security and Cooperation in Europe have also been playing their part in conflict resolution and conflict prevention by stating principles which should govern interstate relations.
The success of any organization doesn’t depend upon whether it has a proper framework or how many members it has rather it depends upon whether it has been successful in achieving those objective for which it was formed. Taking this into consideration the European Union is an excellent example of the benefits and the positive impacts of the regional organization. Initially European Union started off with only 6 members and later expanded to 27 members and integration in one area expanded into other area and thereby the spillover effect proved very advantageous and it was due to this spillover effect that led to the success of the organization.
After analyzing the regional organizations of Americas, Asia and Africa, I hold the view that regional organizations are a very rational way to secure national objectives along with security assurance. The level of integration also has huge impact on the results of the organizations. The more integrated the framework and working of the organization is, the more positive impacts it will produce leading to more stability for that region.
In addition the willingness of the states to work together and collaborate on the issues has its own impact. Moreover it is necessary for all the states to keep the organization integrated to such a level that whenever there is a need to punish or take action against any state then the aggressor should not get an easy hand and rather should be dealt in an appropriate manner.
It can be concluded that strong level of integration in areas of security, economy, politics and legal proceedings is essential for the success of any regional organization. In addition the successful regional organizations are very effective in order to achieve peace and stability
