International organizations (IOs) have become central actors in global governance in the 21st century, playing an increasingly visible role in managing conflict, public health crises, and international trade. At the same time, their expanding influence has generated sustained debates about the future of state sovereignty. This article examines the dual role of international organizations as both facilitators of international cooperation and as institutions that place constraints on state autonomy. Using a qualitative, literature-based comparative analysis, the study focuses on three key cases: the United Nations (UN) in conflict resolution, the World Health Organization (WHO) in global health governance, and the World Trade Organization (WTO) in international trade regulation. Drawing on realism, liberalism, constructivism, and postcolonial perspectives, the article argues that international organizations do not erode sovereignty in a linear or absolute manner. Instead, they reshape how sovereignty is exercised in practice. To capture this transformation, the study introduces the concept of adaptive sovereignty, understood as a flexible and negotiated form of state authority embedded within global governance frameworks. The findings suggest that contemporary global governance is best understood as an ongoing interaction between state power and international institutional influence, producing both opportunities for cooperation and persistent political tensions.
| Published in | Science Futures (Volume 2, Issue 2) |
| DOI | 10.11648/j.scif.20260202.17 |
| Page(s) | 169-173 |
| Creative Commons |
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited. |
| Copyright |
Copyright © The Author(s), 2026. Published by Science Publishing Group |
International Organizations, Global Governance, State Sovereignty, Adaptive Sovereignty, UN, WHO, WTO
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APA Style
Mamo, D. S. (2026). International Organizations and Adaptive Sovereignty in 21st Century Global Governance: Possibilities and Challenges. Science Futures, 2(2), 169-173. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.scif.20260202.17
ACS Style
Mamo, D. S. International Organizations and Adaptive Sovereignty in 21st Century Global Governance: Possibilities and Challenges. Sci. Futures 2026, 2(2), 169-173. doi: 10.11648/j.scif.20260202.17
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Download@article{10.11648/j.scif.20260202.17,
author = {Daniel Samuel Mamo},
title = {International Organizations and Adaptive Sovereignty in 21st Century Global Governance: Possibilities and Challenges},
journal = {Science Futures},
volume = {2},
number = {2},
pages = {169-173},
doi = {10.11648/j.scif.20260202.17},
url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.scif.20260202.17},
eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.scif.20260202.17},
abstract = {International organizations (IOs) have become central actors in global governance in the 21st century, playing an increasingly visible role in managing conflict, public health crises, and international trade. At the same time, their expanding influence has generated sustained debates about the future of state sovereignty. This article examines the dual role of international organizations as both facilitators of international cooperation and as institutions that place constraints on state autonomy. Using a qualitative, literature-based comparative analysis, the study focuses on three key cases: the United Nations (UN) in conflict resolution, the World Health Organization (WHO) in global health governance, and the World Trade Organization (WTO) in international trade regulation. Drawing on realism, liberalism, constructivism, and postcolonial perspectives, the article argues that international organizations do not erode sovereignty in a linear or absolute manner. Instead, they reshape how sovereignty is exercised in practice. To capture this transformation, the study introduces the concept of adaptive sovereignty, understood as a flexible and negotiated form of state authority embedded within global governance frameworks. The findings suggest that contemporary global governance is best understood as an ongoing interaction between state power and international institutional influence, producing both opportunities for cooperation and persistent political tensions.},
year = {2026}
}
TY - JOUR T1 - International Organizations and Adaptive Sovereignty in 21st Century Global Governance: Possibilities and Challenges AU - Daniel Samuel Mamo Y1 - 2026/01/30 PY - 2026 N1 - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.scif.20260202.17 DO - 10.11648/j.scif.20260202.17 T2 - Science Futures JF - Science Futures JO - Science Futures SP - 169 EP - 173 PB - Science Publishing Group UR - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.scif.20260202.17 AB - International organizations (IOs) have become central actors in global governance in the 21st century, playing an increasingly visible role in managing conflict, public health crises, and international trade. At the same time, their expanding influence has generated sustained debates about the future of state sovereignty. This article examines the dual role of international organizations as both facilitators of international cooperation and as institutions that place constraints on state autonomy. Using a qualitative, literature-based comparative analysis, the study focuses on three key cases: the United Nations (UN) in conflict resolution, the World Health Organization (WHO) in global health governance, and the World Trade Organization (WTO) in international trade regulation. Drawing on realism, liberalism, constructivism, and postcolonial perspectives, the article argues that international organizations do not erode sovereignty in a linear or absolute manner. Instead, they reshape how sovereignty is exercised in practice. To capture this transformation, the study introduces the concept of adaptive sovereignty, understood as a flexible and negotiated form of state authority embedded within global governance frameworks. The findings suggest that contemporary global governance is best understood as an ongoing interaction between state power and international institutional influence, producing both opportunities for cooperation and persistent political tensions. VL - 2 IS - 2 ER -
Department of Political Science and International Relations, Wollega University, Gimbi, Ethiopia
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